How to Say "from" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “from” is “de” — use 'de' when indicating the place or group someone or something originates from, or belongs to..
de
/deh//de/
Examples
Soy de México.
I am from Mexico.
Soy de Argentina.
I am from Argentina.
El tren viene de Madrid.
The train is coming from Madrid.
Saca la leche del refrigerador.
Take the milk from the refrigerator.
De + El = Del
When 'de' comes before the word 'el' (the), they always squish together to become 'del'. For example, 'vengo del mercado' (I'm coming from the market).
Forgetting to Combine 'de' and 'el'
Mistake: “Vengo de el parque.”
Correction: Vengo del parque. Remember, 'de' and 'el' almost always merge into 'del'. This doesn't happen with 'la', 'los', or 'las'.
desde
/DEHS-deh//ˈdes.de/
Examples
Trabajo aquí desde las nueve.
I've been working here since nine.
Caminamos desde la playa hasta el hotel.
We walked from the beach to the hotel.
Te estoy viendo desde mi ventana.
I'm watching you from my window.
El tren viaja desde Madrid a Barcelona.
The train travels from Madrid to Barcelona.
Emphasizing the Starting Line
Use 'desde' when you want to really highlight the starting point of a journey or distance. It's often paired with 'hasta' (to/until) to show the full path: 'desde Madrid hasta Barcelona'.
A Key Difference from English
In Spanish, you can use the simple present tense with 'desde' to talk about an action that started in the past and continues. 'Vivo aquí desde 2015' is perfect, while 'I live here since 2015' is incorrect in English.
Where you're from vs. where you're coming from
Mistake: “Soy desde España.”
Correction: To say where you are from (your origin), use 'ser de': 'Soy de España'. To say where your current journey started, use 'desde': 'Vengo desde España' (I am coming from Spain).
A Point in Time vs. A Period of Time
Mistake: “Estudio español desde tres años.”
Correction: Use 'desde' for a specific starting *point* ('desde 2020'). To talk about a *length* of time, use 'desde hace': 'Estudio español desde hace tres años' (I've been studying Spanish for three years).
Origin vs. Starting Point
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