Showing results for de
See entry for:
- dar
de
of
A versatile preposition built around the core idea of "source" or "origin"
Encoding Strategies:
repetition
The most useful translation for de is of, because nearly every way it's used connects back to a single idea: one thing comes from, belongs to, or is defined by another0.
de
of, from (origin)
Where someone or something comes from.
- Soy de México = I'm from Mexico
- Vengo de la tienda = I come from the store
- Los reyes de España = The kings of Spain
of, 's (possession)
María's book is "the book of María," because the book comes from her.
- El libro de María = María's book (the book of María)
- La casa de mis padres = My parents' house
of (what it's made of)
A table of wood, a glass of water, a plate of roast beef — 'of' tells you what the thing or its contents come from.
- Una mesa de madera = A wooden table (a table of wood)
- Un vaso de agua = A glass of water
- Un plato de asado = A plate of roast beef
of, about (topic)
A book of history, a conversation about politics — the content comes from that subject.
- Un libro de historia = A history book (a book of/about history)
- Hablar de política = To talk about politics
as (role)
Your role is the source of what you do — you work 'of waiter' the way a book is 'of history.
- Trabajo de camarero = I work as a waiter
with, from (cause)
The cause is the source — you're not crying 'with' sorrow, you're crying 'from' it.
- Llorando de pena = Crying with sorrow (crying from sorrow)
- Temblando de frío = Shivering with cold (shivering from cold)
if (conditional)
You're placing yourself in an imagined situation and speaking from it — from a position of having known, I wouldn't have gone.
- De haberlo sabido, no habría ido = If I had known, I wouldn't have gone
de ... a
from ... to (span)
Marks the starting and ending points of a span: the source is the starting point, and "a" marks where it lands.
- El concierto va de las ocho a las diez = The concert goes from eight to ten
- De lunes a viernes = From Monday to Friday