de

=

of

preposition

Learn more about this preposition in the Answers section.

preposition

de combines with the article el to form the contraction del (e.g. del hombre of the man).

1. of (posesión, pertenencia)

el coche de mi padre/mis padres -> my father's/parents' car
es de ella -> it's hers
la pata de la mesa -> the table leg

2. from (procedencia, distancia)

salir de casa -> to leave home
soy de Bilbao -> I'm from Bilbao
de la playa al apartamento hay 100 metros -> it's 100 meters from the beach to the apartment

3. (made) of (materia)

un vaso de plástico -> a plastic cup
un reloj de oro -> a gold watch

4. (contenido)

un vaso de agua -> a glass of water

5. (en descripciones)

una película de terror -> a horror film
de fácil manejo -> user-friendly
la señora de verde -> the lady in green
el chico de la coleta -> the boy with the ponytail
he comprado las peras de dos euros el kilo -> I bought the pears that were two euros a kilo
un sello de 60 céntimos -> a 60-cent stamp

6. about (asunto)

hablábamos de ti -> we were talking about you
libros de historia -> history books

7. (uso)

una bici de carreras -> a racer
ropa de deporte -> sportswear

8. as (en calidad de)

trabaja de bombero -> he works as a fireman

9. from (tiempo) (desde); in (durante)

trabaja de nueve a cinco -> she works from nine to five
de madrugada -> early in the morning
a las cuatro de la tarde -> at four in the afternoon
trabaja de noche y duerme de día -> he works at night and sleeps during the day

10. with (causa, modo)

morirse de hambre -> to die of hunger
llorar de alegría -> to cry with joy
de una patada -> with a kick
de una sola vez -> in one go
de tres en tres -> three at a time

11. (con superlativos)

el mejor de todos -> the best of all
el más importante del mundo -> the most important in the world

12. (en comparaciones)

más/menos de… -> more/less than…

13. (adjetivo + de + infinitivo)

es difícil de creer -> it's hard to believe

14. (+ infinitivo) if (condición)

de ir a verte, sería este domingo -> if I do visit you, it'll be this Sunday
de no ser por ti, me hubiese hundido -> if it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't have made it

15. (el + adjetivo + de)

el idiota de tu hermano -> your stupid brother

de [day]

preposition

1. Of, the sign of a genitive or possessive case, as La ley de Dios, the law of God.

El poder de la mente -> mind’s power

2. It serves to point out the matter of which a thing is made.

Vaso de plata -> a silver cup

3. It is the sign of the ablative case.

Vengo de Flandes -> I come from Flanders

4. It serves sometimes instead of the preposition con. (n)

De intento -> on purpose

5. It is used in place of por. (n)

De miedo -> from fear

6. It is of the same import as desde. (n)

Vamos de Madrid a Toledo -> we go from Madrid to Toledo

7. It sometimes governs the infinitive mood. (n)

Hora de comer -> dinner time

8. It is placed before adverbs of time. (n)

De día -> by day
De noche -> by night

9. Sometimes marks an inference. (n)

10. In familiar style it is used to give energy to an expression. (n)

11. It is used after many verbs to denote some, a little, a portion, etc. Comió del pescado, he ate some fish. (n)

Bebió del vino -> he drank some wine

12. It is prefixed to many verbs, nouns, etc., altering their sense, as from poner, to put or to place, is formed deponer, to depose, etc. 13. (n)

Bueno de comer -> good to eat
De balde -> for nothing, free
El coche de mi amigo -> the car of my friend, my friend’s car
Es de ellos -> it’s theirs
El peor alumno de la clase -> the worst pupil in the class
Dolores no es de aquí -> Dolores is not from here
De esto se deduce que ->
Tiene tres hijos de su primera mujer -> he has 3 children by his first wife
Hablaba de política, he was talking about politics. Una tacita de café -> a cup of coffee
Un libro de Cela -> a book by Cela
Máquina de coser -> sewing machine
Pintado de negro -> painted in black
De puerta en puerta -> from door to door
Dar un salto -> in one bound
Estar loco de contento -> to be crazy with joy
Paralizado de las dos piernas -> paralysed in both legs
De niño -> as a child
Una persona amada de todos -> a person loved by all
El bueno de Juan ->