Showing results for de
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de
of, from
A versatile preposition built around the core idea of "source" or "origin"
Encoding Strategies:
repetition
The most useful translations for de are of or from. 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 MéxicoI'm from Mexico
Los vinos de España son famososThe wines of Spain are famous
of, 's (possession)
María's book is "the book of María," because the book comes from her.
El libro de MaríaMaría's book (the book of María)
La casa de mis padresMy parents' house (the house of my parents)
of (what it's made of)
The 'of' tells you what the thing or its contents come from, like a table 'of' wood or a glass 'of' water.
Una mesa de maderaA wooden table (a table of wood)
Un vaso de aguaA glass of water
of, about (topic)
The content comes from that subject, like a book 'of' history or a conversation 'about' politics.
Un libro de historiaA history book (a book of/about history)
Hablar de políticaTo talk about politics
as (role)
Your role is the source of what you do. You work 'of' waiter, just like a book is 'of' history.
Trabajo de camareroI work as a waiter
Actuó de protagonista en la obraShe performed as the lead in the play
with, from (cause)
The cause is the source of the action or thing. You're not crying 'with' sorrow, you're crying 'from' it.
Llorando de penaCrying with sorrow (crying from sorrow)
Temblando de fríoShivering 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 idoIf I had known, I wouldn't have gone
De ser cierto, eso cambiaría todoIf that were true, it would change everything
de ... a
from ... to (span)
Marks the starting and ending points of a span. The source is the point it starts 'from' and 'a' marks where it lands.
El concierto va de las ocho a las diezThe concert goes from eight to ten
De lunes a viernesFrom Monday to Friday
de ... en
from ... to (repeated steps)
Marks movement through a series of repeated, similar items. De leaves one item and en enters the next, emphasizing progression rather than a fixed endpoint.
Fueron de ciudad en ciudad buscando trabajoThey went from city to city looking for work (they went from one city into another city)
El rumor pasó de persona en persona hasta llegar a todosThe rumor passed from person to person until it reached everyone (it passed from one person into another person)