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"¿De qué se trata?": How to use de preposition "DE" in Spanish
4 years agoI will write this post in English so that all Spanish students can access and understand it, no matter what level they have.
"De" is one of the most common Spanish prepositions. Although it usually is translated as "of" or "from", it has many other uses. To make it easier to learn, here is a list to help you remember how to use it:
1) Possession: To indicate that something belongs to someone in English we would use the 's. In Spanish we use the preposition "DE". For example: "La manzana es DE Paula"
2) Date and time: To determine the month and to say the time of day when giving the hour. For example: "Es el 3 DE Mayo", "Son las 6 DE la tarde"
3) Cause: To express a cause. For example: "Estoy cansada DE estudiar", "Está feliz DE verte".
4) Origin: When we need to point out the origin of something or someone. For example: "Ella es DE México", "Este anillo es DE china".
5) Relationship: "Es la madre DE Juan", "Es amigo DE Luis". Again, replacing the 's in another context.
6)Characteristics: In this case "DE" is used to describe the content of something or the material with which it is made. For example: "Un vaso DE agua", "La mesa es DE madera", "La casa DE huéspedes", "Jugo DE naranja".
7) Part of a whole: If you want to express that an object is part of a larger one. For example: "Toma una porción DE pizza", "Dame uno DE tus libros".
8) Comparison: In some comparisons, the "DE" works like the "than" in English. For example: "Es el más alto de todos", "Tengo más de 10 remeras".
9) Verbal expressions: Some verbs are followed by "DE". There is no rule that gives us a clue as to which verbs these are. For this reason, you should memorize them or learn them as you know and practice them. Some examples are: "Me enamoré DE Patricio", "Estoy feliz DE verte", "No paro DE limpiar", "Trataré DE hacerlo".
I hope you found the information useful. As far as I'm concerned: Siempre me alegro DE poder seguir ayudándolos a aprender Español.
