How to Say "De" in Spanish - How To Say Guide

/de/

The Spanish word de translates to the English phrases of, from or about.

Depending on the context, it can be translated into English as 'of', 'from' or 'about'.

What does it mean word for word?

Literally, de translates to 'of' or 'from'.

When de precedes the masculine singular article el, the two words must contract into the single form del, which means 'of the' or 'from the'.

/de/

In some Spanish-speaking cultures, de is used in surnames to indicate noble ancestry or a place of origin, though it is less common today than in French.
The word de is a direct descendant of the Latin dē, which originally meant 'down from' or 'away from'.
Spanish uses de to express possession in a way that English does not, as there is no possessive 's'. Instead of 'John's book', Spanish must use el libro de Juan.

Llovió mucho en Río de Janeiro.
It rained a lot in Rio de Janeiro.
This sentence shows how de is used in the name of a location.
Tatoeba #4774133 by DarkHollow, translation #4773810 by Germic
¿Jamás has oído de Río de Janeiro?
Haven't you ever heard of Rio de Janeiro?
This sentence demonstrates using de to mean 'about' in the context of hearing news or information.
Tatoeba #1276063 by marcelostockle, translation #870591 by CN
Valse de la Lune la ha compuesto Yooko Kanno.
"Valse de la Lune" was composed by Yoko Kanno.
This sentence illustrates using de to indicate what a piece of music is 'of' or composed of.
Tatoeba #832135 by LugoIlmer, translation #9863023 by DJ_Saidez
Un vaso de agua.
A glass of water.
Soy de España.
I am from Spain.
33 more sentences on Tatoeba

Elena and Javier are talking about a book.

Sources

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