Encima: above or on top

Encima locates something above or on top of another object.

The idea

Use encima alone when the reference is understood and encima de before a noun.

El libro está encima de la mesa.The book is on top of the table.
Hay una lámpara encima del escritorio.There is a lamp above the desk.
La taza está encima del plato.The cup is on top of the plate.
Ana pone una carta encima del cuaderno.Ana puts a letter on top of the notebook.
Hay una habitación encima de la cocina.There is a room above the kitchen.
La caja está cerrada y el lápiz está encima.The box is closed and the pencil is on top.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Spanish voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Encima de does not always imply contact: a lamp can be above a desk.

Choose the preposition before the noun: El libro está encima ___ la mesa. (de / con)
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de
Encima de introduces the table as the reference.
Choose the contraction of de + el: La lámpara está encima ___ escritorio. (del / al)
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del
De + el contracts to del before escritorio.
Choose the word matching the location: El libro está sobre la mesa, no debajo: está ___ de la mesa. (encima / debajo)
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encima
Sobre la mesa indicates the book is encima de la mesa.

Describe a book on a table and a lamp above a desk.