He pagado por él cinco chelines or lo he pagado cinco chelines: I paid five shillings for it.
Buscar (por) alguno ó alguna cosa: To look for somebody or something.
Dispensar (por) el error: To excuse the error.
Further uses of the Spanish prepositions different from the English, and forming idioms—
A caballo (on horseback)
Á ciegas (blindly)
Á consecuencia de esto (in consequence of this)
Á deshora (inopportunely)
Á duras penas (with great efforts)
Á esconditas (covertly)
Á fe de caballero (upon the word of a gentleman)
Á gatas (on all fours)
Á hurtadillas (stealthily)
Á la española (in the Spanish fashion)
Á la mesa (at table)
Al antojo de uno (after one's fancy)
Á la tarde (in the afternoon)
A la verdad (in truth)
Al descuido y con cuidado (studiously careless)
Á lo largo del río (along the river)
Á lo que parece (to all appearances)
Hecho a máquina (made by machinery)
Á pie (on foot)
Á poco de escribir (shortly after having commenced writing)
Á propósito (opportunely, à propos)
Á regañadientes (reluctantly)
Á saberlo yo (had I known it)
Á sangre fría (in cold blood)
Á sus anchas, anchuras (at one's ease)
A tiro de cañón (within cannon shot)
Es más hábil que yo, con mucho (he is cleverer than I by far)
Con ser amigo y todo (although he be a friend)
Contra el norte (facing the north)
De año en ano (from year to year)
De balde (for nothing, gratis)
De bóbilis (without effort)
De broma (in jest)
De buenas á buenas (willingly)
De buenas a primeras (straight away)
De capa caída (crestfallen)
De contado (of course)
De día, etc. (by day, etc.)
De jaleo (on the spree)
De luto (in mourning)
De mejor en mejor (from better to better)
¡Ay or Infeliz de mí! (woe to me!)
De miedo (through fear)
Anteojos de oro (gold spectacles)
De patitas (on shanks' pony)
De peor en peor (from bad to worse)
De perillas (venir) (quite opportunely, à propos)
El picaruelo de Perico (that young rascal Perico)
De pies á cabeza (from head to foot)
De puntillas (on tiptoe)
De repente (suddenly)
Del todo (at all)
De veras (in truth)
Dos á dos (two by two)
Está en casa (he is at home)
En estas condiciones (under these conditions)
En señal de aprecio (as a mark of esteem)
Entrecano (gray-haired)
Entre dos aguas (doubtful, perplexed)
Entre la espada y la pared (between the devil and the deep sea)
Nos dió 5 pesetas para repartir entre yo[207] y mi hermano
(he gave us 5 pesetas to be divided between my brother and me)
Hasta la vista (good-bye for the present)
Hasta los animales tienen gratitud (even animals feel gratitude)
Sobre las diez (at about ten o'clock)
Tiene sobre los treinta (he is about thirty years old)
Sobre más 6 menos (a little more or less)
Tras la pérdida el escarnio (besides the loss the scoffing)
[Footnote 207: Entre is generally followed by the nominative case unless it means "to" as—Dijo entre sí. He said to himself.]
About different prepositions used in Spanish and English after certain verbs, see also Appendix V.
The following are the principal compound prepositions—
Acerca de (relating to, concerning)
Á despecho de (in spite of)
Á pesar de (in spite of)
Antes de (before—in point of time)
Cerca de (near)
Junto á (near)
Conforme á (according to)
Con respecto á (with respect to)
Respecto de (with respect to)
Debajo de (under)
Dentro de (inside)
Después de (after)
Encima de (on, or over)
En cuanto á (as to)
En frente de (opposite)
Frente á (opposite)
En lugar de (instead of)
En vez de (opposite)