English from and of hide three different Esperanto relations. Use de for a general source or relationship, el when something comes out of an interior, material, or defined whole, and da when a quantity expression measures an unbounded kind of thing. The correct word follows the meaning and syntax of the Esperanto phrase, not the nearest English gloss.
The quick decision
Ask these questions in order:
- Does the first expression answer kiom? “how much/many,” and is the following noun phrase indefinite and unbounded? Use da.
- Does something emerge from an inside, consist of source material, or get selected from a defined set? Use el.
- Otherwise, is the relationship a general source, starting point, owner, creator, whole, or passive agent? Use de.
| Choice | Core relation | Diagnostic |
|---|---|---|
| de | broad source or association | from/by/belonging or related to whom or what? |
| el | out of, made from, selected from | from inside or from among which bounded whole? |
| da | measured contents or amount | how much/many of an unbounded kind? |
Tio estas la skatolo de Lea.
That is Lea’s box.
La skatolo estas farita el dika kartono.
The box is made of thick cardboard.
Sur la breto staras skatolo da koloraj krajonoj.
A boxful of colored pencils is on the shelf.
This three-way minimal contrast separates ownership, material, and measured contents.
Choose da for measured, indefinite contents
Da links a quantity expression to what is being measured. The first element may be a unit, container used as a measure, amount noun, or quantity adverb: litro da, sako da, multe da, iom da.
Ni bezonas tri litrojn da farbo por la du ĉambroj.
We need three liters of paint for the two rooms.
Ĉu restas iom da kafo, aŭ ĉu mi faru pli?
Is there any coffee left, or should I make more?
Ŝi alportis korbon da freŝaj abrikotoj el sia ĝardeno.
She brought a basketful of fresh apricots from her garden.
The measured expression is grammatically the head. When the whole phrase is an object, object marking appears there, not after the preposition: Mi aĉetis du kilogramojn da tomatoj. Like ordinary prepositions, da does not assign accusative -n to its complement.
Do not use da merely because two nouns are connected by English “of.” Speco de teo, manko de tempo, and grupo de specialistoj express classification, absence, or composition—not a measured quantity.
La vendejo proponas novan specon de senkafeina teo.
The shop offers a new kind of decaffeinated tea.
Definiteness blocks ordinary da
The complement of da is normally substance-like and unbounded. An article, demonstrative, possessive, or personal pronoun makes it a defined set. Then use de or el, depending on viewpoint.
Mi manĝis iom da kuko post la vespermanĝo.
I ate some cake after dinner.
Mi manĝis iom de la kuko, kiun vi bakis.
I ate some of the cake that you baked.
Tri el tiuj kukoj enhavas nuksojn.
Three of those cakes contain nuts.
Iom da kuko measures cake without identifying a bounded whole. Iom de la kuko takes a portion in relation to one identified cake. Tri el tiuj kukoj selects members from a defined set. In partitive contexts de and el can overlap: iom de la pano gives a broad part-whole relation, while iom el la pano more vividly selects a portion from the available whole.
— Ĉu mi povas preni kelkajn el viaj tomatoj? — Jes, prenu tiom, kiom vi bezonas.
— May I take some of your tomatoes? — Yes, take as many as you need.
The possessive viaj defines the set, so da would be wrong.
Choose el for an interior or bounded source
The concrete meaning of el is “out of.” Use it when something exits a container, room, vehicle, region, or other space conceptualized as having an inside.
Mi elprenis la rezervan ŝlosilon el la supra tirkesto.
I took the spare key out of the top drawer.
Kiam vi eliros el la trajno, turnu dekstren.
When you get off the train, turn right.
The same source image extends to source language, documents, memories, and groups.
La citaĵo venas el raporto publikigita pasintjare.
The quotation comes from a report published last year.
Du el la kandidatoj jam laboris kun nia teamo.
Two of the candidates have already worked with our team.
For material, el presents the substance from which an object is constituted or made, especially after fari and farita.
La juvelisto faris la ringon el reciklita arĝento.
The jeweler made the ring from recycled silver.
This is not quantity: the silver becomes the ring. Compare skatolo da arĝentaj ringoj, where the rings are the counted contents.
Choose de for broad source and relationship
De is the default broad source relation. It marks a starting point, sender, owner, creator, whole, temporal boundary, or passive agent without requiring an “inside.”
La matena buso veturas de la haveno ĝis la universitato.
The morning bus runs from the harbor to the university.
Mi ricevis voĉmesaĝon de mia kuzo en Sidnejo.
I received a voice message from my cousin in Sydney.
La kovrilo de la libro estis desegnita de loka artisto.
The cover of the book was designed by a local artist.
The first de relates a part to its whole; the second introduces a passive agent. Context separates these uses. For the full network, see the guide to de.
With movement, de presents a place as a point of departure, whereas el presents emergence from inside it.
Mi venas de la biblioteko, sed mia tekokomputilo restis en ĝi.
I am coming from the library, but my laptop stayed there.
Homoj rapide eliris el la biblioteko kiam eksonis la alarmo.
People quickly came out of the library when the alarm sounded.
Both are possible views of the same building. The first reports the previous stop; the second depicts crossing from interior to exterior.
Material: real overlap between de and el
Material phrases are not entirely mechanical. El clearly presents source material or manufacture: farita el ligno. De can present composition or classify a structure: muro de ŝtono, krono de floroj. Adjectives are often lighter: ligna tablo, vitra botelo.
La malnova muro de ŝtono ankoraŭ ĉirkaŭas la ĝardenon.
The old stone wall still surrounds the garden.
La nova muro estas konstruita el lokaj ŝtonoj.
The new wall is built from local stones.
Both are neutral. The pedagogical recommendation is el when the manufacturing/source-material relation matters, de for composition or an established descriptive noun phrase, and an adjective when simple classification is enough.
A high-value three-way test
English “a glass of wine” can describe several relationships:
La kelnero alportis glason da blanka vino.
The waiter brought a glassful of white wine.
Mi gustumis iom de la vino, kiun vi rekomendis.
I tasted some of the wine that you recommended.
La vino estis servita en glaso el maldika kristalo.
The wine was served in a glass made of thin crystal.
Da measures unbounded wine, de takes a portion of identified wine, and el names the glass’s material. Translating all three with “of” conceals the Esperanto grammar.
Quick decision flow
- Can the first phrase answer kiom? If no, exclude da.
- Is the following phrase introduced by la, a possessive, demonstrative, or pronoun? Exclude ordinary da.
- Is there emergence, source material, textual extraction, or selection from a bounded set? Choose el.
- Otherwise use de for a broad source or relationship, unless another specific preposition such as pri is required.
This system is foundational and neutral across registers. Attested overlap is most common in partitive and material phrases; it reflects different viewpoints, not free interchangeability.
Common Mistakes
Using de for an ordinary measured amount
❌ Ni mendis du tasojn de varma ĉokolado.
Incorrect for two cupfuls — de gives only a broad association.
✅ Ni mendis du tasojn da varma ĉokolado.
We ordered two cups of hot chocolate.
Putting da before a definite set
❌ Mi legis tri da tiuj artikoloj dum la vojaĝo.
Incorrect — tiuj artikoloj is a bounded, definite set.
✅ Mi legis tri el tiuj artikoloj dum la vojaĝo.
I read three of those articles during the trip.
Using de for movement from an interior
❌ La katido saltis de la transportujo tuj kiam mi malfermis ĝin.
Incorrect for movement out of the carrier’s interior — de suggests a general point or surface.
✅ La katido saltis el la transportujo tuj kiam mi malfermis ĝin.
The kitten jumped out of the carrier as soon as I opened it.
Adding accusative after a preposition
❌ Ŝi aĉetis kilogramon da maturajn persikojn.
Incorrect — the complement of da does not take object -n.
✅ Ŝi aĉetis kilogramon da maturaj persikoj.
She bought a kilogram of ripe peaches.
Treating every English of as da
❌ La fino da la filmo surprizis nin.
Incorrect — the ending belongs to a definite whole; no quantity is expressed.
✅ La fino de la filmo surprizis nin.
The ending of the film surprised us.
Key Takeaways
Use da only for quantity plus indefinite contents, el for emergence, source material, and selection from a bounded whole, and de for general source and relationship. When forms overlap, identify the speaker’s viewpoint: measurement, extraction, or association.
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Start learning Esperanto →Related Topics
- DeA2 — Use de for movement or development away from a source and for relationships such as possession, authorship, composition, time, and passive agency.
- ElA2 — Use el for movement from an interior, origin, material, components, and selection from a defined group.
- DaA2 — Use da to connect a quantity or measure to the indefinite substance, people, or things that make up that quantity.
- Quantifiers in the Noun PhraseA2 — How numbers, quantity adjectives, and da-expressions combine with nouns, determiners, plural marking, and accusative case.
- Count and Mass MeaningsA1 — How Esperanto distinguishes countable individuals from unbounded substances and shifts nouns between those meanings.
- Agents with DeB2 — Use de to identify the semantic doer of a passive participle, while distinguishing agents from sources, instruments, and experiencers.