The Preposition de in Spanish: Complete Guide to Uses and Examples

Let's talk about prepositions in Spanish! In this lesson, we will explore the very often used and common preposition de. This versatile preposition has numerous uses in Spanish and can translate to English prepositions like from, of, in, and even than. Understanding when and how to use de will significantly improve your Spanish fluency.

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Using de to Indicate Nationality or Origin

We use the preposition de when we want to indicate where someone or something comes from:

¿De dónde eres? -Soy de Alemania

Where are you from? -I am from Germany.

Captions 36-37, Curso de español - ¿De dónde eres?
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Using de to Indicate Material Composition

The preposition de tells us what something is made of:

El lápiz está hecho de madera.

The pencil is made of wood.

Caption 40, Aprendiendo con Karen - Útiles escolares
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Using de to Describe Features and Characteristics

We use de when we want to describe the features or characteristics of someone or something. In other words, when we want to describe a noun with another noun:

Se toma mucho el jugo de naranja que tiene mucha vitamina C.

Orange juice is consumed a lot as it has a lot of vitamin C.

Caption 74, Otavalo - Conozcamos el Mundo de las Frutas con Julia
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Eh, sobre todo aquí tenemos libros de historia de, eh…

Um, most of all, here we have history books about, um…

Caption 60, El Instituto Cervantes - Jefa de biblioteca
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Un profesor de español.

A Spanish teacher.

Caption 22, El Aula Azul - Cursos y actividades de la escuela
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Using de to Show Possession in Spanish

One of the most common uses of the preposition de is to express possession. Let's look at an example:

Es una empresa de tradición familiar, de mis abuelos.

It's a company with a family tradition from my grandparents.

Caption 50, Europa Abierta - Carne ecológica y segura
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In the example above, you can see that the first de describes the company, while the second de indicates possession (the company belongs to the grandparents). We can also use de to indicate relationships between people:

El novio de Claudia es un tipo muy pinta.

Claudia's boyfriend is a very "pinta" [handsome] guy.

Caption 27, Carlos comenta - Confidencial - Jerga típica colombiana
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Using de to Express Cause or Reason

The preposition de helps us indicate a cause when it appears after an adjective and before a verb:

Estoy ya cansado de estar endeudado

I am tired of being in debt (I’m tired because I’m always in debt)

Caption 3, Bacilos - Mi Primer Millón
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Using de in Comparisons with más de and menos de

We use de when we want to express comparisons or a point of reference with the expressions más de (more than) or menos de (less than):

Sí, un poquito menos de quinientos mil habitantes.

Yes, a little less than five hundred thousand inhabitants.

Caption 47, Buenos Aires - Heladería Cumelen
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Using de in Time Expressions

We use the preposition de when talking about time expressions:

Supongamos que son las cinco de la tarde

Let's suppose that it's five in the evening

Caption 66, Carlos explica - El pretérito Cap. 2: Perfecto compuesto I
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Using de...a to Indicate a Range or Period

We use de along with the preposition a to indicate a particular range or period:

El horario es de lunes a viernes

The schedule is from Monday to Friday

Caption 69, Negocios - La solicitud de empleo
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Summary: Key Uses of the Preposition de in Spanish

To recap, here are the most common uses of de in Spanish:

• To indicate nationality or origin

• To indicate the material something is made of

• To describe features or characteristics (noun + de + noun)

• To indicate possession

• To express cause or reason (after adjective + before verb)

• To make comparisons (with más de or menos de)

• In time expressions

• To indicate a range (with the preposition a)

📌 The Contraction del in Spanish

When the preposition de goes before the definite article el, you need to combine the two words using the contraction del (de + el). Just as it happens with the contraction al (a + el), when you have the preposition de next to the article el, the contraction del is mandatory!

Estos son los números del uno al cien.

These are the numbers from one to a hundred.

Caption 44, El Aula Azul - Los Números del 1-100
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In this example, we can see both contractions (del and al) in action. Also, in this sentence, the speaker is using the preposition de and the preposition a together because she is indicating a range. Remember that it would be wrong to say that sentence in the following way: Estos son los números de el uno a el cien.

That's all for now. If you feel like it, try writing sentences with all the different uses we have mentioned for the preposition de. We'd love to hear from you—feel free to share your examples and any questions you might have!