debajo de
prepositionCEFR A1
What does “debajo de” mean in English?
under
under (located at a lower position than something, physically beneath)
Example sentences
Las llaves están debajo del sofá.
The keys are under the sofa.
¿Hay algo debajo de la cama?
Is there anything under the bed?
El perro duerme debajo de la silla.
The dog sleeps under the chair.
How to use it
Use 'debajo de' to say something is physically beneath or under another object. It is a two-word preposition: 'debajo' (below) + 'de' (of). When debajo de is followed by the masculine singular definite article el, it contracts to debajo del (e.g. debajo de + el sofá → debajo del sofá). Other articles — la, los, las — do not contract: debajo de la cama, debajo de las sillas.
Common mistake
In everyday conversational speech across all dialects, prefer debajo de la mesa over bajo la mesa. Bajo tends toward literary, abstract, or fixed-phrase use (bajo presión, bajo el sol in some registers); debajo de is always safe for physical location at A1.