Spanish · A2 · Family moment
Posting a letter together in Spanish
Writing and sending letters is a wonderful way to connect with others. In this guide, we focus on using Spanish prepositions to describe moving objects to a destination and their final location.
What you'll learn
- Learn vocabulary for mailing letters
- Distinguish between movement and stationary locations in Spanish
- Use the preposition 'en' for both 'in' and 'on'
- Practice common verbs for placing items
Spanish phrases for posting a letter together
Pon la carta en el sobre.
Put the letter into the envelope.
'Pon' is the command form of 'poner' (to put).
¿Ponemos una foto dentro del sobre?
Shall we put a photo into the envelope?
'Dentro de' specifically means 'inside of'.
Pega el sello en el sobre.
Stick the stamp onto the envelope.
'Pega' comes from 'pegar' (to stick/glue).
Pon el sobre en la mesa.
Put the envelope on the table.
'En' is used here to mean 'on'.
El sobre está en la mesa.
The envelope is lying on the table.
We use 'está' (estar) to describe where something is located.
Estoy metiendo la carta en mi bolso.
I'm putting the letter into my bag.
'Meter' is the specific verb for putting something 'inside' a container.
¿Puedo echarlo en el buzón?
Can I drop it into the postbox?
'Echar' is the standard verb for 'dropping' or 'tossing' mail into a box.
Ahora nuestra carta está en el buzón.
Now our letter is in the postbox.
A stationary location using 'estar' + 'en'.
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Try it free for 7 daysKey words
El sobre
Envelope
Not to be confused with the preposition 'sobre' (over/about).
El sello
Stamp
Also called 'estampilla' in some Latin American countries.
El buzón
Postbox / Mailbox
The place where you drop the mail.
Meter
To put in / insert
A very common verb for placing things inside bags or boxes.
Movement vs. Location with 'En'
In Spanish, the preposition 'en' is versatile and can mean 'in', 'on', or 'at'. Unlike languages with case systems, Spanish relies on the verb to indicate if we are moving something to a destination or if it is already there.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Movement (Into/Onto) | Poner/Meter + en | Ponlo en el sobre. (Put it in the envelope.) |
| Stationary (In/On) | Estar + en | Está en el sobre. (It is in the envelope.) |
More examples
La carta ya está en el buzón.
The letter is already in the postbox.
Using 'ya' for 'already'.
Primero, mete la hoja en el sobre.
First, put the sheet into the envelope.
Using 'meter' for movement into a space.