Que or de que

Question

I'm having trouble figuring out when to use "que" vs "de que." For example, in the sentence,

Él siempre tuvo la ilusión de que su hijo fuese concejal del ayuntamiento."

Why is "de que" used and not "que"?

Answer 1

In Spanish, if you describe the illusion, then you have an "illusion of something" (una ilusión de algo).

It is easier to see when a simple noun follows illusion:

He saw an illusion of a red balloon = Vio una ilusión de un globo rojo.

In English, if a full out clause with a conjugated verb (like ones introduced with that in English, for example) is used to describe the illusion, we drop the "of"...Spanish does not drop it in most cases.

So, it is the word ilusión that requires the word de. The fact that the illusion is described with a dependent clause with a conjugated verb necessitates the use of que.

in Spanish you are never supposed to drop that "de" (although in certain cases some people sometimes do) - lazarus1907, Jun 6, 2011