pensar en / casar con / decatarse de

Verbs with Fixed Prepositions

Level 3

Some verbs always use the same preposition before what follows: pensar en, casar con, decatarse de. The preposition joins a following article, so you say Penso no verán and Casou cun italiano.

How It Works

Common verbs and their prepositions

  • en: pensar en (think about), confiar en (trust), insistir en (insist on)
  • con: casar con (marry), soñar con (long for, dream of), contar con (count on)
  • de: decatarse de (realise, notice), acordarse de and lembrarse de (remember), depender de (depend on), namorarse de (fall in love with), fiarse de (trust)
  • a: atreverse a (dare to), aprender a (learn to), axudar a (help to)

Contractions still apply

The preposition joins a following article or un, unha just as it does anywhere else: Penso no exame (en + o), Todo depende do prezo (de + o), Casou cun italiano (con + un), Namorouse dunha moza de Lugo (de + unha). See contractions with de and contractions with un and unha. With pronouns you get Penso nela and Podes contar comigo (see comigo and contigo).

Keep the preposition before que

A verb that takes de keeps it in front of a whole clause: Decateime de que era tarde (see keeping de before que). Be careful with pensar: meaning believe, it takes que directly (Penso que ten razón, I think she is right), but meaning think about, it takes en (Penso moito niso, I think about that a lot).

Points that differ from Spanish

  • For getting married, the Real Academia Galega dictionary gives casar without a pronoun: Casaron en maio, Casou cun italiano.
  • Decatarse, by contrast, always has its pronoun: Non me decatei, Decatácheste? (see pronominal verbs).
  • Soñar con means to long for something: Soño con vivir preto do mar. For what you saw while asleep, soñar can also take que directly: Soñei que voaba (I dreamt that I was flying).

Examples (6)

  1. Penso moito en ti.

    I think about you a lot.

    Pensar takes en when it means to think about someone or something.

  2. Casou cun italiano e agora vive en Roma.

    She married an Italian and now lives in Rome.

    Con + un contracts to cun.

  3. Non me decatei do erro ata o día seguinte.

    I did not notice the mistake until the next day.

    De + o contracts to do. The pronoun me goes before the verb after non.

  4. Levo anos soñando con esta viaxe.

    I have been dreaming of this trip for years.

    Soñar con means to long for something.

  5. Todo depende do prezo.

    Everything depends on the price.

  6. Podes contar comigo.

    You can count on me.

    Con + min becomes comigo.

Common Mistakes

  • Dropping de before a que clause.

    Decateime que era tarde.
    Decateime de que era tarde.

    Decatarse takes de, and the preposition stays in front of a que clause too.

  • Leaving de and the article uncontracted.

    Todo depende de o prezo.
    Todo depende do prezo.

    The preposition de joins the article o to make do, exactly as it does after any other word.

  • Choosing the wrong preposition for soñar.

    Levo anos soñando desta viaxe.
    Levo anos soñando con esta viaxe.

    English says dream of, but Galician uses soñar con for something you long for.

How It Connects

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pensar en / casar con / decatarse deLevel 3Verbs with Fixed Prepositions

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Some verbs select a fixed preposition for their complement.

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Words in This Pattern

pensarcasardecatar