A, hacia, de: to, towards and of in Spanish
*A* marks the point you arrive at — a destination, a clock time, a distance. *Hacia* marks the direction you are moving in, without claiming you get there. *De* marks where something comes from, what it is made of, or what it is about. *A* + *el* contracts to *al*; *de* + *el* contracts to *del*.
Draft copy. Every claim needs a native-speaker check before publishing — the byline is what makes this citable, so it has to be earned.
Arriving, heading, coming from
A is the endpoint. Hacia is the direction. De is the source.
- Voy al mercado. — I’m going to the market. That is where I will end up.
- Voy hacia el mercado. — I’m heading that way. Whether I get there is not part of the sentence.
- Vengo del mercado. — I’m coming from the market.
That distinction between the first two is real and useful. Ella estaba caminando hacia mí, pero iba a salir de la habitación — she was walking in my direction, but she was on her way out. Caminaba a mí would be wrong, because I was not her destination.
What a does
| Use | Example |
|---|---|
| Destination | Vamos a la oficina de Karin. |
| Clock time | Podrían venir a las 4:15. |
| Distance | El museo está a cuatro cuadras de mi casa. |
| Before a person (the personal a) | Le he dicho a mi mamá. |
| How something is made | El vestido está hecho a mano. |
| Purpose | La profesora vino a explicarnos algo. |
A + el = al. Every time, no exceptions: vamos al gimnasio, le repetimos la clase al estudiante. It does not contract with la, los, las, or with the pronoun él.
In Lima, distances come in blocks: a tres cuadras, a dos cuadras del óvalo. Cuadra is the word, not manzana.
What hacia does
| Use | Example |
|---|---|
| Direction, approximate place | Estábamos viviendo hacia la calle 5. |
| Approximate time | La fiesta va a ser hacia las diez. |
| The target of a feeling or behaviour | Ella es grosera hacia ese niño. |
That middle one is worth stealing. Hacia las diez means “around ten” — a soft commitment where a las diez is a fixed one. Peruvians more often say como a las diez or a eso de las diez for the same thing, but hacia is correct and you will read it.
A set of fixed expressions always use hacia:
- mirar hacia atrás — look back
- mirar hacia adelante — look ahead
- hacia arriba / hacia abajo — up / down
What de does
| Use | Example |
|---|---|
| Origin | Soy de Lima. |
| Type | una tarjeta de crédito |
| Material or ingredient | un jugo de piña, una mesa de madera |
| Part of the day, with an hour | a las siete de la noche |
| Dates | el 5 de marzo de 2026 |
| Topic | un libro de cocina |
| Possession | el carro de Andrés |
De + el = del: el trabajo del ingeniero. Same rule as al, same single exception — de él, two words, when it is the pronoun.
The rule about times that actually saves you
Spanish uses two different prepositions for “in the morning”, and which one depends on whether you have named an hour.
- Hour named → de: a las siete de la mañana, a las ocho de la noche.
- No hour → por or en: trabajo por la mañana, salgo en la noche.
A las siete por la mañana is wrong. Trabajo de la mañana is wrong. Once you have the hour, it is de; once you drop it, it is not.
Peru leans towards en la mañana, en la noche where Spain says por. Both are understood; en is what you will hear in Lima.
Asking with them
The preposition goes to the front of the question, where English leaves it dangling at the back.
- ¿A dónde vamos? — where are we going to?
- ¿Hacia dónde está mirando? — which way is he looking?
- ¿De qué es la película? — what is the film about?
- ¿De dónde eres? — where are you from?
Never ¿Dónde vamos a?
Try it
- The pharmacy is three blocks from here.
- We’re heading towards the centre.
- A pineapple juice, please.
- Class is at three in the afternoon.
→ 1 La farmacia está a tres cuadras de acá · 2 Vamos hacia el centro · 3 Un jugo de piña, por favor · 4 La clase es a las tres de la tarde.
Next
The two prepositions that give A2 learners more trouble than these three combined.
Topics PrepositionsGetting around
A, hacia, or de?
Seven questions on the three prepositions, the two contractions, and the one rule about telling the time.
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1Which sentence says you are heading in that direction, without saying you arrive?
Answer
Voy hacia el mercado. — *Hacia* is direction only. *A* marks the endpoint you actually reach, which is why *voy al mercado* commits you to getting there.
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2Vamos ___ gimnasio.
Answer
al — *A* + the article *el* always contract into *al*. *A el* is never written, though *a él* — the pronoun — is two words.
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3Class is at three in the afternoon.
Answer
La clase es a las tres de la tarde. — Once you name the hour it is always *de la tarde*. *Por la tarde* and *en la tarde* are for when no hour is given.
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4A pineapple juice, please.
Answer
Un jugo de piña, por favor. — *De* links a thing to what it is made of. The same *de* gives you *una mesa de madera* and *una tarjeta de crédito*.
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5The pharmacy is three blocks from here.
Answer
La farmacia está a tres cuadras de acá. — *A* marks distance as well as destination, and in Lima distance comes in *cuadras*. Note *acá*, which Peruvians use far more than *aquí*.
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6What is the film about?
Answer
¿De qué es la película? — The preposition goes to the front of a Spanish question, not the end. Same shape as *¿de dónde eres?* and *¿a dónde vamos?*
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7La fiesta va a ser hacia las diez means the party starts:
Answer
around ten — *Hacia* with a time means approximately. *A las diez* would be a fixed commitment; in Lima you will more often hear *a eso de las diez*.