Are you ready to get to know some prefixes? You’ll find them in so many Spanish words, and they’re really useful to know.
So, what is a prefix?
A prefix is a group of letters at the start of a word. In English, we have prefixes such as ‘un-’, ‘pro-’, and ‘anti-’. Sometimes they’re simply attached to the front of a word that already exists. Other times they’re combined with a part-word to make a whole word.
Prefixes are basically the opposite of suffixes: they’re at the start of the word instead of the end.
If you take a basic Spanish word, such as decir (‘to say’), you can completely change its meaning by adding different Spanish prefixes.See also: Spanish Suffixes: Diminutive, Augmentative, Pejorative and More!
| decir | to say |
| bendecir | to wish well, to bless |
| maldecir | to insult, to curse |
| predecir | to predict |
How are Spanish Prefixes Useful?
Knowing the main Spanish prefixes can help you in your learning.
The Main Prefixes in Spanish
This table summarises most of the Spanish prefixes you’ll ever need to know! Some of them you might recognize from English, or other languages that you know.
| ben- | good |
| mal- | bad |
| sobre-/super- | over/superior, ‘over-’ |
| hiper- | over, superior, ‘hyper-’ |
| sub- | under, ‘sub-’ |
| hipo- | under, inferior, ‘hypo-’ |
| pre-/ante- | before, ‘pre-’ |
| pos-/post- | after, ‘post-’ |
| pos-/post- | after, ‘post-’ |
| pro- | for/in favor of, ‘pro-’ |
| contra- | against, ‘anti-’ |
| anti-/a-/im-/in-/dis-/des- | opposite, ‘anti-’ ‘a-,’ ‘im-,’ ‘in-,’ ‘dis-,’ ‘un-’ |
| en- | in |
| ex- | outside, former, ‘ex-’ |
| homo- | same, ‘homo-’ |
| con-/com-/co- | with/together, ‘co-’ |
| inter- | between, ‘inter-’ |
| entre- | between, among |
| re- | again, ‘re-’ |
| seudo- | false/not genuine, ‘pseudo-’ |
| auto- | self, ‘self-’ |
| semi- | half, ‘semi-’ |
| uni-/mono- | one, ‘uni-,’ ‘mono-’ |
| bi- | two, ‘bi-’ |
| cent- | hundred, ‘cent-’ |
| poli- | many, ‘poly-’ |
| equi- | equal, ‘equi-’ |
ben- (good)
| beneficiar | to benefit |
| bendito | blessed |
| Emilio es el benefactor más generoso. | Emilio is the most generous benefactor. |
mal- (bad)
| malevolente | malevolent (kind of evil) |
| la malnutrición | malnutrition |
| Espero que el tumor no sea maligno | I hope the tumor is not malignant. |
Image via Pixabay
sobre- (over)
| la sobredosis | overdose |
| sobresaliente | outstanding (over and above expectations) |
| El camión se averió por el sobrepeso. | The truck broke down because of the extra weight. |
super- (over)
| superar | to surpass, overcome |
| el supermercado | supermarket |
| El profesor supervisó el examen. | The teacher supervised (watched over) the exam. |
hiper- (over)
| hiperactivo | hyperactive |
| el hipermercado | hypermarket |
| Tomo pastillas porque sufro de hipertensión. | I take tablets because I suffer from hypertension (high blood pressure). |
sub- (under)
| subterráneo | subterrain (underground) |
| subrayar | to underline |
| El tesoro subyace bajo la casa. | The treasure lies underneath the house. |
hipo- (under)
| hipodérmico | hypodermic (under the skin) |
| la hipotermia | hypothermia (body temperature under normal safe levels) |
| La hipotensión puede causar desmayos. | Hypotension (low blood pressure) can cause fainting. |
pre- (before)
| la prehistoria | prehistory (before records began) |
| el prefijo | prefix (goes before the rest of the word!) |
| La pitonisa predijo mi divorcio. | The fortune teller predicted my divorce. |
ante- (before)
| anterior | previous |
| de antemano | beforehand |
| TÃo, me he enamorado de una chica pero acabo de descubrir que tiene antecedentes penales. ¿DeberÃa quedarme con ella? | Dude, I’ve fallen for a girl but I’ve just found out she has a criminal record. Should I stay with her? |
pos- (after)
| posponer | to postpone (change the date to later) |
| posparto | postnatal (after birth) |
| Me encanta el arte posmoderno. | I love postmodern art. |
post- (after)
| postoperatorio | post-op |
| la postproducción | postproduction (part of filmmaking that happens after the recording) |
| Hablaremos de los problemas en una etapa posterior. | We’ll discuss the problems at a later stage. |
pro- (for)
| provida | pro-life |
| proelección | pro-choice |
| Soy pro-equidad de género. | I’m in favor of gender equality. |
contra- (against)
| la contrarreloj | race against the clock |
| contraatacar | to counterattack |
| Soy contrario al abuso de los animales. | I am opposed to/against/anti-animal cruelty. |
anti- (opposite)
| los anticuerpos | antibodies |
| antibacteriano | antibacterial (kills bacteria) |
| Lee este artÃculo. Se trata de las nuevas leyes anticorrupción. | Read this article. It’s about the new anti-corruption laws. |
a- (opposite, not, absence)
| apolÃtico | apolitical (no political stance) |
| asexual | asexual |
| Me gusta la asimetrÃa de la parte de arriba del vestido. | I like the asymmetry of the top part of the dress. |
im- (opposite, not)
| imposible | impossible |
| imprescindible | indispensable |
| El vestido es bonito pero es muy impráctico. | The dress is pretty but very impractical. |
in- (opposite, not)
| inactivo | inactive |
| inconveniente | inconvenient |
| Voy a pasear al perro porque se está poniendo inquieto. | I’m going to walk the dog because he’s getting restless. |
dis- (opposite, not)
| disfuncional | dysfunctional |
| dislocar | to dislocate |
| Intentaré disuadir a Juana de rendirse. | I’ll try to dissuade Juana from giving up. |
des- (undo)
| desatar | to untie |
| desnudo | naked |
| Me despidieron. | I got sacked. |
en- (in)
| entregar | to hand in |
| envolver | to wrap |
| ¿Cómo vamos a entrar en el edificio sin las llaves? | How are we going to get into the building without the keys? |
ex- (outside, former)
| exportar | to export (send out of the country) |
| el exmarido | ex-husband (former husband) |
| —Sigo enamorada de mi ex. —¿De cuál hablas? | I’m still in love with my ex. Which one? |
homo- (same)
| el homófono | homophone (words that sound the same) |
| homosexual | homosexual |
| No bebo leche homogeneizada. | I don’t drink homogenized milk. |
con- (with, together)
| convivir | to live together |
| contener | to contain |
| En caso de incendio, nos concentraremos aquÃ. | In case of fire, we’ll gather here. |
com- (with, together)
| combinar | to combine |
| compartir | to share |
| Mi madre siempre me compara con mis primos. | My mother always compares me with my cousins. |
co- (with, together)
| cooperar | to cooperate |
| colaborar | to collaborate |
| Discutà con mi colega hoy. | I argued with my coworker today. |
inter- (between)
| internacional | international (between nations) |
| intervenir | to intervene (get involved, e.g. between two arguing friends) |
| Es muy útil la pizarra interactiva. | The interactive whiteboard is very useful. |
Image via Pixabay
entre- (between, among)
| entremeter | to meddle (e.g. between two arguing friends) |
| el entreacto | intermission (between parts of a stage show) |
| Tuve una entrevista en un restaurante. | I had an interview at a restaurant. |
re- (again)
| recalentar | to reheat |
| repetir | to repeat |
| Inspector, rebobine la grabación. Oà algo. | Inspector, rewind the recording. I heard something. |
seudo- (false, not genuine)
| el seudónimo | pseudonym (fake name, e.g. authors sometimes use pen names) |
| la seudociencia | pseudoscience (looks like science but isn’t) |
| Hablas de algo que nunca pasó. Es un ejemplo de la seudohistoria. | You’re talking about something that never happened. It’s an example of pseusdohistory. |
auto- (self)
| la autoestima | self-esteem |
| la autodisciplina | self-discipline |
| España tiene varias comunidades autónomas. | Spain has various autonomous communities. |
semi- (half)
| semidesnudo | half naked |
| el semicÃrculo | semicircle |
| Es un semidiós. | He’s a demigod. |
uni- (one)
| el uniciclo | unicycle (one wheel) |
| unisex | unisex |
| Llevamos un uniforme para que se nos vea bien unidos. | We wear a uniform so that we look united. |
mono- (one)
| monótono | monotonous (one tone) |
| el monopolio | monopoly |
| Me interesan los monocarriles y otros sistemas de trenes. | I’m interested in monorails and other rail systems. |
bi- (two)
| la bicicleta | bicycle (two wheels) |
| bisexual | bisexual |
| El sistema binario utiliza el número 0 y el número 1. | The binary system uses the number 0 and the number 1. |
cent- (hundred)
| el centenario | centenary |
| el centÃmetro | centimeter (a hundredth of a meter) |
| Tengo centenares de problemas que afrontar. Mejor me echo una siestecita. | I have hundreds (figuratively zillions) of problems to deal with. I’mma take a nap. |
poli- (many)
| la poligamia | polygamy (having more than one spouse) |
| polideportivo | sports center (many sports in one place) |
| La fiesta es en la sala polivalente. | The party is in the multipurpose hall. |
equi- (equal)
| equivalente | equivalent |
| equilibrado | well-balanced |
| Hoy se registra el equinoccio de primavera. El dÃa y la noche duran lo mismo. | Today is the spring equinox. The day and the night are the same length. |
Quiz
Image via Pixabay
In each case below, we’ve given you a Spanish word with its English meaning. Then we’ve given you a related Spanish word, and we want you to figure out what it means!
1. cubrir = to cover — descubrir = ??
a. to recover
b. to discover
c. to go undercover
Click to reveal the correct answer:
2. fino = fine (thin) — extrafino = ??
a. superfine
b. fine
c. not fine
Click to reveal the correct answer:
3. finalista = finalist — semifinalista = ??
a. two finalists
b. quarterfinalist
c. semifinalist
Click to reveal the correct answer:
4. nacer = to be born — renacer = ??
a. to give birth again
b. to be reborn
c. to be born
Click to reveal the correct answer:
5. cargar = to load — sobrecargar = ??
a. to overload
b. to underload
c. to reload
Click to reveal the correct answer:
6. importar = to import — exportar = ??
a. to export
b. to support
c. a former importer
Click to reveal the correct answer:
7. brazo = arm — antebrazo = ??
a. anti-arm
b. before the arm
c. forearm
Click to reveal the correct answer:
¡Muy bien!
In this lesson, we’ve covered the meanings of many of the most common Spanish prefixes, and how to use them. Hopefully the examples have illustrated how they can often be super similar to the English ones, which makes life a lot easier!
¡Hasta pronto!
