de
/də/
The English word "of" is translated into French as de.
The preposition de is primarily used to express possession or to indicate that something belongs to someone or something.
Meaning: possessive genitive: belonging to (prep)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Québécois French, the preposition à is sometimes used instead of de to convey possession.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using de with definite articles, the form may change. If de is followed by the masculine singular article le, they contract to form du. If it is followed by the plural article les, they contract to form des. However, if it is followed by the feminine singular article la, they do not contract and remain de la.
How do you pronounce it?
/də/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying de le or de les. Instead, use the contracted forms du or des respectively.
Did you know?
- While de usually indicates possession, in the phrase de rien, it is used to say 'you are welcome' by literally stating 'it is of nothing'.
- The word de is a descendant of the Latin preposition 'dē', which originally meant 'down from' or 'away from' in a physical sense.
- French names of nobility often use de to indicate the land they originate from, such as in the name 'Charles de Gaulle'.
Examples in context
- Sors de là !Get out of there.This sentence shows the use of de to indicate movement away from a location.Tatoeba #4550316 by sacredceltic, translation #2886494 by CK
- Fils de pute !Son of a bitch!This sentence demonstrates an offensive use of the phrase.Tatoeba #1318446 by Mutusen, translation #1743206 by Djef_Messaoudi
- Essaie de ça !Try some of this.This sentence shows the use of de with a demonstrative pronoun.Tatoeba #4550317 by sacredceltic, translation #2892397 by CK
- Le livre de PierrePeter's book
- La ville de ParisThe city of Paris
- Un morceau de gâteauA piece of cake
- Une tasse de théA cup of tea
- Un verre de vinA glass of wine
- Des morceaux de musiquePieces of music
- Le chien lui appartientThe dog is his
- 13740 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Lucas are talking about a book on the table.
- EmmaC'est le livre de Lucas ?Is this Lucas's book?
- LucasOui, c'est le livre de Lucas.Yes, it is Lucas's book.
- EmmaLa couverture de ce livre est belle.The cover of this book is beautiful.
- LucasMerci, Emma.Thank you, Emma.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “of” translations and entries de, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
