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Which Preposition Goes with Reírse?
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How should you translate "the boy laughs at the father"? Are both of these correct?

  • El chico se ríe al papá.
  • El chico se ríe del papá.

No, only the second one is correct.

There's no logical reason why reírse de is used to mean "to laugh at" rather than reírse a or even reírse en. That's just the way it is. This is one of those cases where you should learn the preposition along with the verb.

There are a number of other verbs that combine with prepositions you might not expect. Following are a few of them; this list is far from complete and is meant a sampling rather than a full reference:

  • contar con, to count or depend on
  • pensar en, to think about
  • acabar con, to put an end to
  • abalanzarse sobre, to rush at or to fall on
  • vacilar en, to hesitate before
  • abatirse sobre, to swoop down on
  • interarse en o interarse por, to be interested in
  • alegrarse de, to be happy about
  • apostar por, to bet on
  • encontrarse con, to meet or to run into
  • chocar con, to run into
  • coger de, to hold by

Note: This question was adapted from a discussion on the bulletin board. To read the original discussion, go here.


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