How Do You Use De in Spanish?

De in Spanish

When to use de in Wikipedia“>Spanish

?.De is one of the most common prepositions in Spanish. Although it usually is translated as “of” and sometimes as “from,” its use is far more versatile than the translation might suggest. In fact, in certain contexts, de can be translated not only as “of” or “from,” but as “with,” “by,” or “in,” among other words, or not translated at all.

One reason de is used more often than its equivalents in English is because the rules of English grammar let us use all sorts of nouns and phrases as adjectives. In that way, Spanish isn’t quite so flexible. While in English we may say,
“a nine-year-old girl,” in Spanish that becomes una niña de nueve años or, literally, “a girl of nine years.” Similarly, in English, we may say something like “a silver ring,” using what is normally a noun, “silver,” as an adjective. But in Spanish we have to say un anillo de plata, or “a ring of silver.”

De also is used in Spanish to indicate possession.
We may talk about “John’s shoe” in English, but in Spanish it’s el zapato de Juan, or “the shoe of John.”

– Following are some of the most common uses of de:

Using De for Possession

Possession or belonging, either physical or figurative, as indicated by “‘s” in English is almost always translated using de followed by the possessor in Spanish:

el carro de Lucy (Lucy’s car)
la clase del Sr. Gómez (Mr. Gomez’s class)
las esperanzas del pueblo (the people’s hopes)
¿De quién es este lápiz? (Whose pencil is this?)

Using De for Causation

Following an adjective, de can be used to indicate a cause.
Estoy feliz de nuestra amistad. (I am happy with our friendship. The word following de indicates the reason for happiness.)
Está cansada de jugar. (She is tired of playing.)

Using De To Indicate Origin

Often translated as “from,” de can be used to indicate the origin of a person or thing. She same construction is used to state that a person is a member of a group.

Soy de Arkansas. (I’m from Arkansas.)
Mi madre es de la India. (My mother is from India.)
Es la chica más inteligente de la clase.(She is the most intelligent girl in the class.) 

Using De With Characteristics

When an object or person has characteristics (including contents or what something is made of) that are stated as a noun or infinitive, de is often used to show the relationship. It generally is not possible in Spanish, as it is in English, to use nouns as adjectives.

corazón de oro (heart of gold.)

el tranvía de Boston (the Boston streetcar)

una casa de huéspedes (a guesthouse)

una canción de tres minutos (a three-minute song)

una casa de $100,000 (a $100,000 house)

una taza de leche (a cup of milk)

la mesa de escribir (the writing table)

una casa de ladrillo (a brick house)

jugo de manzana (apple juice)

una máquina de escribir, (a typewriter, literally a writing machine)

Using De in Comparisons

In some comparisons, de is used where we would use “than” in English.

Tengo menos de cien libros. (I have fewer than 100 books.)
Gasta más dinero de lo que gana. (He spends more money than he earns.)

Idioms Using De

De is used in many common idiomatic phrases, many of which function as adverbs.
de antemano (previously)
de cuando en cuando (from time to time)
de memoria (by memory)
de moda (in style)
de nuevo (again)
de pronto (immediately)
de prisa (hurriedly)
de repente, (suddenly)
de todas formas (in any case)
de veras (truly)
de vez en cuando (from time to time)

Verbal Expressions Requiring De

Many verbs are followed by de and often an infinitive to form expressions.
There is no logic to which verbs are followed by de. The verbs need either to be memorized or learned as you come across them.
Acabo de salir. (I have just left)
Nunca cesa de comer. He never stops eating.
Trataré de estudiar. (I will try to study.)
Me alegro de ganar. (I am happy to win.)
Se olvidó de estudiar. (He forgot to study.)
Romeo se enamoró de Julieta. (Romeo fell in love with Juliet.)

You will also occasionally see other uses of de, although those above are the most common. There are also many expressions and verb combinations using de that were not listed above.

Keep in mind also that when de is followed by the article el, meaning “the,” they form the contraction del. Thus los árboles del bosque is the equivalent of saying los árboles de el bosque (“the trees of the forest”). But no contraction is used for de él, which means “his.”

Sentences with the word de in Spanish

¡Hora de almorzar!	–	Lunch time!
Quiero un poco de jugo.	–	I want some juice.
Vamos de paseo.	–	Let’s go for a walk.
¿De quién es eso?	–	Whose is that?
A partir de ahora mando yo.	–	From now on I rule.
Eso está de más.	–	That’s too much.
Estoy feliz de la vida.	–	I am happy with life.
¿Quieres un trozo de pastel?	–	Do you want a piece of cake?
Hoy es dia de fiesta.	–	Today is a holiday.
Feliz dia de San Valentín.	–	Happy Valentines Day.
Estoy enamorada de ti.	–	I’m in love with you.
Quiero formar parte de este proyecto.	–	I want to be part of this project.
Vas de mal en peor.	–	You go from bad to worse.
Es momento de mirar adelante.	–	It is time to look forward.
No soy de ese tipo de personas.	–	I’m not that type of person.
Este regalo es de parte de la familia.	–	This gift is from the family.
Vengo de parte de su esposo.	–	I come from her husband.
¿Es de verdad lo que me cuentas?	–	Is it true what you tell me?
No sé de qué hablas.	–	I do not know what are you talking about.
No entiendo nada de la materia.	–	I don’t understand anything about the matter.
¡Estás de madre!	–	You are a mother!
Necesito comprar algo de café.	–	I need to buy some coffee.
Estas pantuflas son de tu hermana.	–	These slippers belong to your sister.
Ponte a hacer las oraciones de la tarea.	–	Start doing the homework sentences.
Estos temas son parte de mi trabajo.	–	These topics are part of my job.
¿De quién es esto?	–	Whose is this?
Dejemos de molestar a los vecinos.	–	Let’s stop bothering the neighbors.
Ese perrito es de mi vecina.	–	That puppy belongs to my neighbor.
Vengo de la ferretería.	–	I’m from the hardware store.
Me gustan las aplicaciones de juegos en línea.	–	I like online gaming apps.

El libro de Juan.	–	Juan’s book.
La casa de mi padre.	–	My father’s house.
El volumen de la música.	–	The volume of the music.
Los árboles de mi jardín.	–	The trees in my garden.
El volumen de la música.	–	The volume of the music.
Las puertas de la casa.	–	The doors of the house.
Un hombre de valor.	–	A man of value.
Los condimentos de la comida.	–	Food condiments.
Es una decisión de gran trascendencia.	–	It is a decision of great importance.
Parece un problema de fácil solución.	–	It seems like an easy-to-solve problem.
Compré una nueva mesa de cocina.	–	I bought a new kitchen table.
Es una servilleta de usar y tirar.	–	It is a throwaway napkin.
Toma este libro de matemáticas.	–	Take this math book.
Cruza por el puente de hierro.	–	Cross over the iron bridge.
La casa posee un techo de madera.	–	The house has a wooden roof.
El niño tiene un oso de peluche.	–	The boy has a teddy bear.
Necesito un vaso de agua.	–	I need a glass of water.
Voy a comprar una botella de vino.	–	I’m going to buy a bottle of wine.
Tomasa tiene una caja de zapatos.	–	Tomasa has a shoe box.
Trajo una maleta de ropa sucia.	–	She brought a suitcase of dirty clothes.
Felipe es un hijo de buena familia.	–	Felipe is a son of a good family.
De esto se deduce que tenías razón.	–	From this it follows that you were right.
Mira el camino de mi casa al pueblo.	–	Look at the road from my house to town.
Ya estoy cansado de tanto andar.	–	I’m tired of walking so much.
De esto se deduce que tenías razón.	–	From this it follows that you were right.
No sabes admirar la naturaleza en el camino de este a oeste.	–	You don’t know how to admire nature on the way from east to west.
Carlos está cansado de tanto andar.	–	Carlos is tired from walking so much.
Estoy contento de la buena noticia.	–	I am happy about the good news.
Hay que levantarse de un salto.	–	You have to jump up.
Lo hizo de buena gana.	–	He did it willingly.

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