In vs Into

Question

I just realized something about English: the preposition depends on the verb. For verbs of placement, we use “into”: He puts the clothing into the box. For verbs of location, we use “in”: The clothing is in the box.

Also we tend to say “on the beach” if we are nearby: Jorge is on the beach. But we say “at the beach” if we are in a different city: My friends are at the beach.

Hope this helps with your translations. When I teach basic English, the use of “in”, “on”, or “at” is one of the most challenging things for Spanish speakers.

Silvia Piriz · Accepted Answer

Hola Marcos R.
That’s a great observation and you’re absolutely right. Prepositions in English are very closely tied to the type of action expressed by the verb (movement vs. location), which is exactly what you’ve described with into / in and on / at.
This is one of the reasons why prepositions can be so tricky when moving between English and Spanish. In Spanish, en often covers several of these meanings at once, and the distinction is usually inferred from the verb or the context rather than the preposition itself.
Your comparison is very helpful and nicely highlights why literal translations don’t always work one-to-one between the two languages. It’s also a great example of how being aware of your native language can actually support your learning of Spanish.
Thanks for sharing this insight, it will definitely help other learners too!
Feliz finde
Silvia