Note: In Latin America en after verbs such as entrar,ingresar, penetrar is often
replaced bya: Entró al cine [LA] ‘She went into the cinema’.
‘On’, ‘upon’, and ‘on top of’
En, sobreand encima deare equivalent to ‘(up)on’. The correct choice to
some extent is a matter of common sense and experience. Arriba deis used
in Latin America.
Sobreand encima deare clearly preferable in contexts where encould be
ambiguous (e.g. en el armario‘in’ or ‘on the cupboard’). In other cases en
may be used without reservation (e.g. en mi hombro‘on my shoulder’).
En el suelo hay una On the floor there is a Persian
alfombrilla persa. rug.
Puedes sentarte sobre la You can sit on the bed.
cama.
Although they are often interchangeable, encima demay be preferred to
sobre for reference to greater or unexpected height, equivalent to ‘on (top
of)’:
Lo dejé sobre el estante en la cocina.
I left it on the shelf in the kitchen.
Está escondido encima/arriba[LA] del armario.
It is hidden on top of the cupboard.
Se ve allí encima de la chimenea.
You can see it up there on the chimney.
Note: Note the interesting contrast between Los vimos en la televisión‘We saw
them on television’, and Lo puso sobre/encima de la televisión. ‘She put it on the
television’.
‘Above’ and ‘over’
Sobre andencima defit this context with reference to elevation:
Vamos a volar sobre los Alpes.
We are going to fly over the Alps.
¡Mira la nube de humo encima del bosque!
Look at the cloud of smoke above the forest!
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