Many Uses of the Word ;Con in Spanish

The Spanish word  con,  pronounced much like the English word cone, not like con, is one of the most commonly used prepositions. In most uses, it is the equivalent of the English word with.   The word  con is more versatile than the English with, however, and it may be used in places where with might not be used in English.  For example, con can be paired with certain verbs, can be used to form phrases that function like adverbs, indicate conditions, and form contractions. Con Used With Certain Verbs Con  can be used with various verbs where a different preposition  or none at all would be used in English. Such usages are unpredictable and need to be learned along with the verbs. Spanish Sentence English Translation Verb Combination Es necesario acabar con el escà ¡ndalo. It is necessary to put an end to the scandal. acabar con/put an end to Para comer, basta con cinco dà ³lares. In order to eat, five dollars is enough. basta con/is enough El coche chocà ³ con el tren. The car crashed into the train. chocà ³ con/crashed into Puedo contar con mis amigos. I can count on my friends. contar con/count on Tengo que enfrentarme con el problema. I have to face up to the problem. enfrentarme con/face up to Me espanto con las hormigas. I am frightened of ants. Me espanto con/to be frightened of Muchas veces sueà ±o con la guerra. I often dream about the war. sueà ±o con/dream about Quiero encontrarme con mi madre. I want to run into my mother. encontrarme con/to run into When used with the verbs above, con could be understood to mean with, but it would be awkward to translate it literally that way. Con Used to Form Phrases That Function Like Adverbs In English, with can be used to form adverbial phrases, but but such phrases using con are far more common in Spanish. In some cases, such adverbial phrases  are used in preference to or instead of synonymous adverbs. This list below is far from complete. Spanish Sentence English Translation Adverbial Phrase/Literal Meaning Habla con intensidad. He speaks intensely. con intensidad/with intensity Me preguntà ³ con cortesà ­a. He asked me courteously. con cortesà ­a/with courtesy Vive con felicidad. She lives happily. con felicidad/with happiness Anda con prisa. She walks fast. con prisa/with speed No reacciona con miedo. She doesn't react fearfully. con miedo/with fear Nos abrazamos con carià ±o. We hugged affectionately. con carià ±o/with caring Comenzà ³ las tareas con buena cara. He began his homework optimistically. con buena cara/with a good face Bailan con confianza. They dance confidently. con confianza/with confidence Hablaron con calma. They spoke calmly. con calma/with calm Habla espaà ±ol con fluidez. She speaks Spanish fluently. con fluidez/with fluency Se viste con humildad. He dresses humbly. con humildad/with humility Da su opinià ³n con libertad. She freely gives her opinion. con libertad/with freedom Te quiero con locura. I love you madly. con locura/with craziness Estamos esperando con ilusià ³n. We are waiting hopefully. con ilusià ³n/with hope Juega fà ºtbol con ganas. He plays soccer enthusiastically. con ganas/with gusto El perro duerme con frecuencia. The dog sleeps often. con frecuencia/with frequency Con Used to Indicate a Condition Sometimes when followed by an infinitive or a noun, con can have a variety of translations to indicate a condition being met or not. Translations for con in this case can include if, despite, and by. Spanish Sentence English Translation Meaning of Condition Con decirle que no tengo dinero, todo estarà ¡ bien. By telling him that I don't have money, everything will be fine. con decirle/by telling him Con todo, no està ¡ enferma. Despite everything, she's not sick. con todo/despite everything Con correr puedes verla. If you run you can see her. con correr/if you run Con Used as a Contraction When con is followed by the pronoun mà ­ or ti to say with me or with you, the phrase is changed to conmigo or contigo, respectively. Spanish Sentence English Translation Contraction Ven conmigo. Come with me. conmigo/with me Vendrà © contigo. I will come with you. contigo/with you Key Takeaways Although con is the usual  equivalent of the English preposition with, it is often used in situations were with is not.Con is frequently paired with numerous verbs in unpredictable ways.Con is also frequently used with prepositional objects to form phrases that function as adverbs in situations where English would more likely simply use an adverb.