De vs A Flashcards

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1
Q

Possession: To indicate possession or ownership.
Example: El libro [] Juan (Juan ‘s book).

A

De

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2
Q

Origin: To express origin or nationality.
Example: Soy [] México (I am from Mexico).

A

De

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3
Q

Material: To denote the material something is made of.
Example: Una mesa [] madera (A wooden table).

A

De

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4
Q

Content: To specify the content of something (topics, subjects, movies, tv shows, articles, magazines, etc).
Example: Una taza [] café (A cup of coffee)
Hablamos [] fútbol (we’re talking about football)- can be interchangeable with sobre
Ayer vimos una película [] terror (Yesterday we saw a scary movie)

A

De

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5
Q

Description: To provide a description or characteristic of something or someone.
Example: Un hombre [] pelo largo (A man with long hair). We can use “[]” as an alternative to “con”.

A

De

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6
Q

Relationship: To indicate relationships or connections between people.
Example: El hermano [] María (Maria ‘s brother).

A

De

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7
Q

Tired of

A

Cansado/a de

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8
Q

Comparison: To make comparisons.
Example: Es más alto [] lo que pensaba (He is taller than I thought).

A

De

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9
Q

Time: To express the time something happens.
Example: Salgo de casa a las 8 [] la mañana (I leave home at 8 in the morning).
Yo termino de trabajar a las 6 [] la tarde.

A

De

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10
Q

With specific dates

A

del-al

Me voy de vacaciones del 28 de Febrero al 7 de Marzo. (I’m going on vacations from February 28 to March 7).

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11
Q

With time, months and days of the week

A

de-a

Viajaré de Lunes a Domingo. (I will travel from Monday to Sunday).

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12
Q

We can use “[]” for destinations as well.

A

“de-a”

Yo viajaré de Phoenix a Los Ángeles la próxima semana.

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13
Q

Destinations:

We use this preposition when the location has no name or possessive (the location):

Ella va [] la oficina (She is going to the office).

A

A

al = masculine - Voy al gimnasio (I’m going to the gym).
a la = feminine - Ella va a la oficina (She is going to the office).

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14
Q

We use this when the location has a name (country, continent, city, store, restaurant, etc.):

El próximo mes iré [] Cancún.

A

a + name of the location:

El próximo mes iré a Cancún.

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15
Q

We use this when the location has a possessive:

Vamos [] mi casa. (Let’s go to my house).

A

a + possessive + location:

Vamos a mi casa. (Let’s go to my house).
Vamos a tu oficina. (Let’s go to your office).
Ellos fueron a su coche. (They went to his car).

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16
Q

When someone/something receives an action (usually the indirect object):

Yo le dije [] Julia. (I told Julia).

A

Yo le dije a Julia. (I told Julia).

Yo golpeé a mi hermano por accidente. (I punched my brother by accident).
Yo le dije a mi maestro que estudié. (I told my teacher that I studied).
Le compré rines nuevos a mi coche. (I bought new tires for my car).
Yo acaricié a mi perro. (I pet my dog).
Yo le enseño español a Mike. (I teach Mike spanish).

17
Q

Using “[]” before an infinitive verb to express purpose or intention:

Salgo [] comprar pan. (I’m going out to buy bread.)

A

Salgo a comprar pan. (I’m going out to buy bread.)

18
Q
A