what is it?
In Spanish, many verbs require a specific preposition before their complement — a noun, pronoun, or infinitive. This fixed link between a verb and its preposition is called régimen preposicional (prepositional regime). The preposition is not chosen freely; it is part of the verb's identity and must be memorised together with it. Choosing the wrong preposition — or omitting it — produces an ungrammatical sentence, even if the equivalent verb in English uses a different preposition or none at all.
when to use it
The prepositional regime applies whenever one of these verbs introduces a complement. The key triggers are:
hablar de — used when the topic of speech is introduced. The complement can be a noun phrase or an infinitive clause.
pensar en — used when directing thought toward a person, thing, or situation. Note: pensar also exists with de but with a different meaning (to have an opinion about something): «¿Qué piensas de eso?» — this is a separate construction.
soñar con — used for both literal dreams during sleep and figurative aspirations. The complement is always introduced by con, never de.
invitar a + infinitivo — used when someone is invited to do something. The preposition a is obligatory before the infinitive. This is an example of double complementation: invitar takes both a person (direct or indirect object) and an action (infinitive introduced by a).
formation
The structure is always: conjugated verb + fixed preposition + complement. The verb conjugates normally for tense, person, and number; the preposition never changes.
| verb | fixed preposition | complement type | example |
|---|---|---|---|
| hablar | de | noun / infinitive | hablar de política |
| pensar | en | noun / pronoun / infinitive | pensar en el futuro |
| soñar | con | noun / pronoun / infinitive | soñar con viajar |
| invitar | a | infinitive (+ person object) | invitar a cenar |
When the complement is a pronoun, the preposition is still required and the pronoun follows it: pienso en ti, soñé con ella.
With invitar a + infinitivo, the person invited is expressed as an object pronoun or noun before the preposition-infinitive block: «Me invitó a cenar» (subject) + me (person invited) + a cenar (action invited to).
examples in context
common pitfalls
«*pensar de» instead of «pensar en»
English uses both «think of» and «think about», which leads learners to calque «*pienso de ti». The correct form is always pienso en ti. Reserve pensar de only for asking or giving an opinion: «¿Qué piensas de esta película?»
«*soñé de» instead of «soñé con»
Because «hablar de» and «depender de» use de, learners sometimes extend it to soñar. The preposition for soñar is always con: «soñé con mi antiguo colegio», not «*soñé de mi antiguo colegio».
«*me invitó cenar» instead of «me invitó a cenar»
English «invited me to dinner / to dine» can make the preposition feel optional. In Spanish it is obligatory: invitar a + infinitivo always requires a before the infinitive. Dropping it produces an ungrammatical sentence.
Three sentences, graded here. Nothing is saved and no account is needed.
Mi abuela siente un amor enorme ___ sus nietos y siempre les prepara su comida favorita cuando los visita.
Fill in the blank with the correct preposition.