Verbs plus prepositions

As in Spanish, many English verbs need a preposition before an object, e.g.:

I was thinking. (Estaba pensando.)

I was thinking about Paul. (Estaba pensando en Paul.)

Jack spoke. (Jack habló.)

Jack spoke to Jenny. (Jack habló con Jenny.)

However, some English verbs need a preposition when the corresponding verb in Spanish does not, e.g.:

The girls listened carefully. (Las chicas escuchaban atentamente.)

The girls listened carefully to the announcement. (Las chicas escuchaban el anuncio atentamente.)

We looked. (Mirábamos.)

We looked at all the paintings. (Mirábamos todos los cuadros.)

Notice also that the preposition in English does not always correspond to the preposition in Spanish, e.g.: Our decision depends on the weather. (Nuestra decisión depende del tiempo.) Eric dreamt about me. (Eric soñaba conmigo.)

As always, a verb after a preposition must be the –ing form, e.g.:

I'm thinking about handing in my notice. (Estoy pensando en despedirme.)

Larry insisted on sitting next to me. (Larry insistió en sentarse a mi lado.)

	See also phrasal verbs, compare adjectives plus prepositions.