the use of ''de''

Question

What's the differences between primero and de primero? They are so confusing:(

For example: Camarero: Hay dos menús. Tiffany: yo tomo el menú número 1 de primero ensalada. Caramero: ¿Y de segundo?

Why can't we just say them without de?

Thank you so much for your help. I will really appreciated.

Answer 1

Hi Tiffany. It is confusing, but just think about how it would sound if you left your prepositions out of English. Without them, nothing would make any sense. It is the same with Spanish.

Hi Tiffany. Confusing just think how would sound you left your prepositions English. Them nothing would make sense. Same Spanish.

Get point?

Answer 2

Hello tiffany, You are right, it can be very confusing...as some things CAN in English! Your answer to camarero, (unfortunately) didn't make any sense. It actually read as: "I take the menu number one of first salad". The easiest answer would have been, "Menú número uno por favor". The camarero would then have said... ¿Qué quiere de primer plato? or he may use the shortened form ¿de primero ? Which roughly translates as, "What would you like for the first course"? The 'de' in front of primero is...Just the way it is in this Spanish phrase. Sometimes you just have to accept the 'oddities'! Your answer to him would have been either: "Voy a tomar la ensalada" or "Quisiera la ensalada". Primero on it's own can mean several things, and you'll find these in a good dictionary. I HOPE this is of some help....Jool.

Answer 3

¡Buenos días! Ummm, I am a total novice at Spanish, but I read those lines as: T: Yo tomo ... for the first (course) - the salad and for the second (course)?

She picked item number one from the menu for the first course (or salad course) and was puzzling over what to choose for the second course. The "de" reads as "for" - it could be left out, but even in English (where 'most anything goes) that would sound odd.

But as I said, I am not a grand polyglot, this is how it reads to me.