Is there a gramatical difference between "del" and "de el"? Or is it just a pronunciation thing?
If there is a gramatical difference between the two, because I always thought it had to do with pronunciation
5 Answers
It is my understanding that when "de" is followed immediately by "el" that they must be combined to form "del" in order to be grammatically correct.
It's also my understanding that this "rule" is due to pronunciation issues with saying "de el". Therefore the contraction to "del" is mandatory.
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong about this!
De el must be contracted to del when el means "the." However, when él (note the accent mark) means him, it is written out de él. So there is a grammatical difference between the contracted and non-contracted forms.
This is the eraser of the pencil = Esto es la goma del lapiz.
This is his pencil = Esto es el lapiz de él. (optionally: Esto es su lapiz)
I simply don't know if del and de él are pronounced differently from one another.
It's called a contraction. If you have "de" and "el" right next to each other, they become "del". If you try to say "de el" it basically sounds like "del" anyway, so I guess that's the reason they do it.
Note: That doesn't apply with "de la" though, it stays the same.
You're quite right Pajaro 
De el or Del
De + el is always contracted.
Incorrect: ¿El libro es de el profesor?
Correct: ¿El libro es del profesor?
"del" is a contraction of "de el", so there is no grammatical difference.
