de
prepositionBeginnerHigh frequency
What does “de” mean in English?
of / from
Example sentences
Soy de México.
I'm from Mexico.
El libro de María.
María's book (the book of María).
Hablamos del clima.
We talk about the weather.
How to use it
De means 'of', 'from', or 'about'. Combines with el to form del ('of the / from the'). Versatile preposition — possession, origin, content, topic.
Common mistake
Spanish has no apostrophe-s possessive — use 'de' instead. 'María's book' = 'el libro de María', NEVER 'María libro' or 'María's libro'.
Topics
Related Beginner words
Reference
This entry’s teaching guidance follows A New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish (Butt, Benjamin & Moreira Rodríguez, Routledge), 34.