How to use "de que".

Question

So far, I've been seeing "de que" applied to Spanish sentences, but I cannot figure out its meaning and/or relevance.

Take for instance, this particular question that I've found in the Spanish 202: Unit 9 > Lesson 1 section of Livemocha:

¿Ya es hora de que llegue el tren? Is it high time (that) the train arrive?

I appreciate your time and effort in providing answers. Thank you!

Welcome to the Q&A forum! - --Mariana--, Aug 14, 2012

Thank you, Mariana. I am happy that I'm a member here. - Okaychuku, Aug 15, 2012

Answer 1

Not being a grammarian I will try to answer your question as I see it. For instance let's look at the following phrase,

Es un señal que - The que modifies the noun señal, making it a sort of subject of the following clause. That is, it tells the reader that you are going to say something about the señal itself, as opposed to referring to something the señal indicates.

Example:

Es un señal que llama la atención - It's a sign that catches your attention.

On the other hand,

Es un señal de que - The following clause doesn't refer to the señal itself, but rather to what is being indicated by the señal.

Example:

Es un señal de que la situación está mejorando en Irak - It's a sign that the situation is improving in Iraq.

Espero haberte ayudado - I hope this has been of help.

This was an excellent explanation. Thank you. - Okaychuku, Aug 15, 2012

Answer 2

"La hora" is the noun and "de que llegue" is a verb phrase, which is the adjective.

We can say, ie: "Ya es la hora de la comida," Ya es la hora del descanso," etc. Here we don´t use de que because the adjectives are nouns.

We can also say in your case "Ya es la hora de la llegada del tren," but the writer of your sentence has chosen to use a verb phrase as the adjective, so it must be in subjunctive and preceeded by de.

There is also a slight difference here between "la hora de la llegada" and "hora de que llegue." The first indicates a simple time such as a schedule. The second can show that the speaker is involved with the arrival time, ie: he is tired of waiting and thinks the train should be there already, or he is happy that the train will arrive soon, etc.

Julian, what a brilliant explanation of the use of the subjunctive..Thank you. - annierats, Aug 14, 2012

Answer 3

Perhaps this lesson will help you 'Knowing When to use que & de que?'

this was a clear concise article!!! - HowardO, Aug 14, 2012

As usual, great lesson, Kiwi, it's helped me a lot. By the way, there's a typo in "try viewing each word as serving a purpose in it's own right". its* ;) - inkubzz, Aug 15, 2012

And again in "a noun and it's accompanying noun". :D - inkubzz, Aug 15, 2012

Thank you so much, Kiwi-Girl, for the beneficial link. - Okaychuku, Aug 15, 2012

Thanks guys, and thanks Inkubzz I appreciate all proofreading I'll sort them out now :) - Kiwi-Girl, Aug 15, 2012

Answer 4

So, whatever "es" is in the phrase "es un señal de que la situación está mejorando en Irak," is to what "de que" refers?

Answer 5

You all are so knowledgeable of the Spanish language. Muchas gracias.