Spanish Prefixes: Boost Your Vocabulary Overnight

Once you discover Spanish prefixes, you can instantly boost your Spanish vocabulary overnight.

Although the term may sound complicated, the same concept exists in English, which makes it easy to understand.

So what are Spanish prefixes?

As the name indicates, prefixes precede a base word, to which they can grant different meanings.

There’s no need to go too deep on grammar terminology, but you should know that prefixes belong to a group called affixes, which contain the smallest grammatical unit in a language. So small are prefixes that they are not considered words, since don’t have any meaning by themselves.

In this case, prefixes only make sense when they are added before a base word to form a derivative.

The easiest way to understand this concept is to look at the most commonly used Spanish prefixes.

Most textbooks split prefixes into two groups:

1. Spanish prefixes with Greek roots
2. Spanish prefixes with Latin roots

There no particular reason for splitting them up this way, but nonetheless, let’s see explore the prefixes by their category.

As you will see, some prefixes slightly alter the meaning of words, while other prefixes completely change the meaning.

Prefixes With Greek Roots

Prefixes With Latin roots

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Practice Spanish Prefixes

Highlight the Spanish prefix in the following sentences:

1) En este caso solo el vicepresidente puede tomar esas decisiones. (In this case, only the vice-president can make that kind of decision)

2) El veterinario mencionó algo sobre endoparásitos pero no recuerdo mucho. (The veterinarian mentioned something about endoparasites but I don’t remember that much)

3) Cuando usamos una luz ultravioleta podemos ver muchísimo más. (When we use ultraviolet light we can see much more)

4) No hay de qué preocuparse, el daño solo fue en la epidermis. (There’s nothing to worry about, only the epidermis was damaged)

5) Hay mucho trabajo en la preproducción de una película. (A lot of work goes to the preproduction of a movie)

6) Hay un hipermercado a unas calles de aquí, allá podemos comprar lo que hace falta. (There is a hypermarket a few blocks from here, we can go there and buy what is missing)

7) Su religión, al contrario de muchas, no cree en un dios omnipotente. (Their religion, unlike many, does not believe in an omnipotent god)

8) Contradijo todos los pronósticos y solo fue una tormenta de unas horas. (Against all forecasts, it was just a regular storm that lasted a few hours)

9) El guión fue reescrito unas cinco veces antes de la versión final. (The script was rewritten about five times before the final draft)

10) Es una persona con muchísima simpatía, es agradable de conocer. (There’s a lot of sympathy to him, it’s nice to get to know him)

Answers

1)    Vicepresidente (Vice meaning the replacement of the president, taking its place)

2)    Endoparásitos (Grants the added “Internal” meaning to the parasites)

3)    Ultravioleta (Ultra, getting the light rays higher their usual visible spectrum)

4)    Epidermis (The outer or “above” layer of the skin)

5)    Preproducción (The process that starts before or prepares the production)

6)    Hipermercado (An even bigger, more stocked kind of grocery store)

7)    Omnipotente (Omni meaning “all”, literally making the word almighty)

8)    Pronósticos (Prior to, knowing or guessing something before it happens or arrives)

9)    Reescrito (Re, meaning again, makes the word “written again”)

10) Simpatía (Inclination to like someone else, or feel similar to them)