Prepositions of location and the word "de"

[laepelba]

I am working on some translation exercises and find that I'm occasionally making mistakes on when to use "de" and when not to use "de". This set of exercises only deals with prepositions of location.

For example:
English: We need more light above the paintings.
The book's translation: Necesitamos más iluminación sobre los cuadros.

I wrote the same exact Spanish, except with de: "...sobre de los cuadros."

What is the difference?

Thanks!!

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

"Sobre de" sounds incorrect for a Mexican ear; two prepositions can't be placed together.

[Don José]

The same for a Spanish ear.

It sounds like:

We need more light above from the paintings.

[aleCcowaN]

I think you might be experiences a bit of a vocabulary struggle. "Sobre nosotros" and "acerca de nosotros" (about us) might have invaded the sphere of "sobre" as "on", "above" or "over". This kind of things happen to me all the time .

There are many prepositional phrases that include "de" and they may provoke such "echoes".

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

I think these exercises can be confusing because even us native speakers forget when there is an adverb (which admits a combination of words) and when there is a preposition (which stands alone).

Some adverbs:
·Estoy delante de ti.
I'm in front of you.
·Dejé la carta encima de la mesa.
I left the letter on top of the table.
·Los zapatos están debajo de la cama.
The shoes are under the bed.
·¿Por qué votaste en mi contra?
Why did you vote against me?


Prepositions:
·Los aviones pasan exactamente sobre mi casa.
The planes fly exactly above my house.
·El documental está filmado bajo el agua.
The documentary is filmed under water.
·Recargué el espejo contra la pared.
I put the mirror leaning against the wall.

[Don José]

¿Por qué votaste en mi contra?
Why did you vote against me?

En is a preposition. Contra can be a preposition but in this case I would say it is a noun.

We used to learn by heart and recite the prepositions in school: a, ante, bajo, cabe, con, contra, de, desde, en, entre, hacia, hasta, para, por, según, sin, so, sobre, tras.

(I confess I looked for them in the Internet )

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Aunque "en" y "contra" son ambas preposiciones, "en contra" es una locución adverbial.

[laepelba]

"en mi contra" is interesting. I will have to think about it because it doesn't seem quite right to my ear, even though I know that I am not a Spanish-speaker, I can't really make it mean "against me"....

So, are you saying that "sobre" is never used with "de"? I can definitely say that Alec is right - I am confusing it with phrases like "a través de" and "delante de" and "fuera de", etc......

Thanks!!

[chileno]

Originally Posted by laepelba

"en mi contra" is interesting. I will have to think about it because it doesn't seem quite right to my ear, even though I know that I am not a Spanish-speaker, I can't really make it mean "against me"....

So, are you saying that "sobre" is never used with "de"? I can definitely say that Alec is right - I am confusing it with phrases like "a través de" and "delante de" and "fuera de", etc......

Thanks!!

You could've used "...encima/arriba de los cuadros"

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by chileno

You could've used "...encima/arriba de los cuadros"

That definitely makes sense to me. I'm just questioning the use (or lack thereof) of the word "de" with "sobre".... The book chose to use "sobre" instead of "encima" or "arriba"....

[chileno]

Originally Posted by laepelba

That definitely makes sense to me. I'm just questioning the use (or lack thereof) of the word "de" with "sobre".... The book chose to use "sobre" instead of "encima" or "arriba"....

Correct, and like the others said, no "sobre de" should be used.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Originally Posted by laepelba

"en mi contra" is interesting. I will have to think about it because it doesn't seem quite right to my ear, even though I know that I am not a Spanish-speaker, I can't really make it mean "against me"....

Take my word for it.
I could have just said "contra mí", but that was not the example.

Originally Posted by laepelba

So, are you saying that "sobre" is never used with "de"? I can definitely say that Alec is right - I am confusing it with phrases like "a través de" and "delante de" and "fuera de", etc......

Yes, what I'm saying is that two prepositions don't go together, except when they make an adverbial expression (like "en contra").
"A través de", "delante de", "debajo de", "encima de" are all adverbial expressions.
Check the preposition list Don José posted. Apart from one or two more that we didn't learn by heart like that, those are the only prepositions we accept as such in Spanish.

Originally Posted by laepelba

That definitely makes sense to me. I'm just questioning the use (or lack thereof) of the word "de" with "sobre".... The book chose to use "sobre" instead of "encima" or "arriba"....

Perhaps the people writing the exercises simply wanted you to notice "sobre de" is a wrong construction.