de
“de” means “of” in Spanish. It has 5 different meanings depending on context:
of
Also: 's
📝 In Action
El coche de mi padre es azul.
A1My father's car is blue.
Es la casa de María.
A1It's María's house.
Las llaves del apartamento están sobre la mesa.
A2The apartment's keys are on the table.
from
📝 In Action
Soy de Argentina.
A1I am from Argentina.
El tren viene de Madrid.
A1The train is coming from Madrid.
Saca la leche del refrigerador.
A2Take the milk from the refrigerator.
of
Also: made of
📝 In Action
La mesa es de madera.
A2The table is made of wood.
Quiero un vaso de vidrio.
A2I want a glass (made of) glass.
Compró un anillo de oro.
B1He bought a gold ring.
about
Also: on
📝 In Action
Es una película de amor.
A2It's a movie about love (a love movie).
Hablamos de política toda la noche.
B1We talked about politics all night.
Es un documental de la naturaleza.
B1It's a documentary about nature.
in the
Also: at
📝 In Action
Son las tres de la mañana.
A1It's three in the morning.
Tengo una cita a las diez de la mañana.
A1I have an appointment at ten in the morning.
Salimos a las siete de la tarde.
A2We leave at seven in the evening.
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Quick Quiz: de
Question 1 of 3
Which sentence correctly says 'the dog's toy' in Spanish?
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👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes directly from the Latin preposition 'dē', which had similar meanings of 'from', 'down from', and 'about'. It's one of the oldest and most stable words in the Spanish language.
First recorded: Before the 10th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between 'de' and 'del'?
'Del' is simply the combination of 'de' and 'el'. Whenever you would say 'de el', you must squish them together to make 'del'. For example, 'el hijo de el rey' becomes 'el hijo del rey' (the son of the king).
When do I use 'de' vs 'desde' for 'from'?
It's a tricky one! Use 'de' for simple origin ('Soy de Canadá'). Use 'desde' to emphasize the starting point of a journey or a period of time ('Camino desde mi casa' - I'm walking from my house; 'Trabajo desde las 9' - I work from 9 o'clock).
How can one little word have so many meanings?
Think of 'de' as a connector word. Its main job is to link two ideas. The specific relationship (possession, origin, material) depends on the words it's connecting. English does this too with words like 'of' or 'from'. You'll get a feel for it with practice!