Inklingo

How to Say "that of" in Spanish

The Spanish word forthat ofis elA2 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.

English → SpanishA2
PronounA2
Used before 'de'
A hand pointing to a specific blue shirt on a clothing rack that also holds a red shirt, illustrating the choice of 'the one'.

Examples

¿Cuál coche prefieres? Prefiero el rojo.

Which car do you prefer? I prefer the red one.

Mi teléfono es viejo. El de mi hermana es nuevo.

My phone is old. My sister's (the one of my sister) is new.

El que no arriesga, no gana.

The one who doesn't risk, doesn't win.

A Shortcut Word

'El' can stand in for a masculine noun you've already mentioned, so you don't have to say it again. It's like saying 'the one' in English.

Common Patterns: 'el que' and 'el de'

You'll almost always see this use of 'el' followed by 'que' (that/who) or 'de' (of/from) to add more information about 'the one' you're talking about.

Omitting the Pronoun

Mistake:No me gusta este libro, prefiero de la biblioteca.

Correction: 'No me gusta este libro, prefiero el de la biblioteca.' You need 'el' to mean 'the one' from the library.

Related Translations

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