en
/en/
The English phrase "into" is translated into Spanish as en.
The preposition en is used to describe a position inside a space or container. In Spanish, en is used for both "in" (static position) and "into" (movement toward the interior).
How does it change in a sentence?
When expressing "into the" in the sense of movement into a space, if en is followed by the masculine singular article el, they remain as two separate words: en el. Note that they only contract to form al when used with the preposition a.
How do you pronounce it?
/en/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often try to translate "into" as dentro de (inside of), but en is the standard preposition used to express entering a space.
Did you know?
- The preposition en can also translate to 'at' when describing a location. Saying you are 'at the cinema' is expressed as en el cine.
- The Spanish en shares a common ancestor with the English word 'in', tracing back to the Proto-Indo-European root '*h₁én'. This explains why the two words feel so fundamentally similar in function.
- While en marks the destination, the verb entrar (to enter) is what truly signals the movement 'into' a space. Without a motion verb, en usually denotes a static position.
Examples in context
- Él entró al banco.He went into the bank.This sentence shows the use of en to describe movement into a building.Tatoeba #1639483 by marcelostockle, translation #295557 by CK
- Me caí en un hoyo.I fell into a hole.This sentence demonstrates using en to describe falling into a hole.Tatoeba #3118103 by marcelostockle, translation #2335890 by CK
- Cayó en el abismo.He fell into the abyss.This sentence shows the use of en regarding falling into an abyss.Tatoeba #11433964 by Eremon, translation #11249233 by sundown
- El agua se convierte en hielo en temperaturas bajo cero.Water turns into ice at temperatures below zero.
- Por favor, coloque el libro dentro de la bolsa.Please place the book into the bag.
- Las luces se encienden automáticamente al entrar en el interior del edificio.The lights turn on automatically upon entering into the building.
- Ella se metió en problemas al hablar sin pensar.She got into trouble by speaking without thinking.
- Él se sumergió hasta el cuello en el mar.He immersed himself up to his neck into the sea.
- 919 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and María are organizing a kitchen.
- MateoPon los platos en el armario, por favor.Put the plates into the cupboard, please.
- MaríaVale, ¿y los vasos también?Okay, and the glasses too?
- MateoSí, pon todo en el armario.Yes, put everything into the cupboard.
- MaríaListo, ya están todos dentro.Done, they are all inside now.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry en, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries en, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
