 |
|
Uses of De |
|||
|
1. Possession -That's mine! |
|||
| In English an apostrophe s ('s) is added to a noun to show possession, that is that something belongs to someone. | |||
| Macayla's backpack | |||
| the teachers' classes | |||
| In Spanish, the word de (of) is used to show that something belongs to one or more people. | |||
| la mochila de Amelia | Amelia's bookbag (the bookbag of Amelia) | ||
| los carteles de mis amigos | my friends' posters (the posters of my friends) | ||
| el libro de Anita y Eduardo | Amelia's book (the book of Anita and Eduardo) | ||
| los lápices de Carlos y Ana | Carlos and Ana's pencils (the pencils of Carlos and Ana) | ||
|
2. What type of thing |
|||
| De can be used to clarify what type of thing you're describing. | |||
| la música de Puerto Rico. | Puerto Rican music | ||
| las películas de ciencia ficción | science fiction movies | ||
|
3. Where someone if from |
|||
| Use the verb ser plus de plus the country to tell where someone is from. | |||
| Vanesa es de México. | Vanesa is from Mexico. | ||
| Julio es de Chile | Julio es from Chile. | ||
|
4. Contraction |
|||
| When de is followed by the word el (the masculine, singular definite article), the two words combine to form the contraction del. | |||
| los cuadernos del profesor | the professor's notebooks | ||
| la revista del colegio | the school's magazine | ||
"Language is at the core of human existence. Through language we express the hopes and dreams we hold for our families, our state and our nation. The ability to communicate in a second language enables us to know the hopes, dreams and visions of others around the world."
