Key Difference – Behind vs Beside
Behind and beside are two prepositions that refer to the position of something in relation to another object. There is a difference between behind and beside due to the different positioning of objects. Behind refers to the position at or towards the back of somebody/something whereas beside refers to the position next to or at the side of something. This is the key difference between behind and beside.
What Does Behind Mean?
Behind is a preposition that describes the position of an object or a person. Behind usually refers to the position or location at or towards the back of somebody/something. It’ll be easier to understand the meaning of this preposition by looking at the image below.
In the above image, the man is behind the bed. In other words, the bed is in front of the man. In front is the opposite of behind. When an object is placed behind another object, the object in the back may be hidden from the view.
Now let’s look at some sentences that contain this preposition.
Who’s the man standing behind your sister?
The sun disappeared behind a mass of clouds.
Please keep this broom behind the cupboard.
She tried to hide behind the oak tree.
The cat hid behind the fridge.
The little girl hid behind the tree.
What Does Beside Mean?
Beside is also a preposition that that describes the position of an object or a person. It usually refers to the position next to or at the side of another object.
In the above image, the man is standing beside the bed. Beside is equivalent to next to, alongside, or at the side of. However, beside is more formal than next to.
Let’s now look at some sentences that contain this preposition.
I sat beside the driver in the front of the car.
Please keep my keys on the table beside the bed.
The man beside me was wearing a dark hoody and holding a big suitcase.
I’ll take your photo if you stand beside your mother.
The cottage is beside a small lake.
I kept your money on the table beside the couch.
What is the difference between Behind and Beside?
Position:
Behind: Behind refers to the position at or towards the back of somebody/something.
Beside: Beside refers to the position next to or at the side of something.
View:
Behind: The object that is behind the other object may be hidden from the view.
Beside: When two objects are beside each other, both can be seen clearly.
Image Courtesy:
“Préposition derrière (lit)” By MlibFR – Own work (CC0) via Commons Wikimedia“Préposition à côté (lit)” By MlibFR – Own work (CC0) via Commons Wikimedia“830725” (Public Domain) via Pixabay“670281” (Public Domain) via Pixabay