De vs Desde: Choosing | Portuguese (Brazil) Grammar

Both de and desde can translate as English from, and both can mark a starting point in time or space. The difference is one of emphasis on continuity. De states a plain origin — where something comes from, neutrally. Desde does something extra: it stresses the unbroken span stretching from a starting point up to now (or up to some later endpoint). English has no single word that captures this; we lean on since for time and from for everything else, but Portuguese makes you choose on the basis of whether you want to foreground that continuous stretch. This page shows you when each is required, when both work, and how the paired constructions de...a and desde...até differ.

The core distinction: plain source vs. continuous span

de = a neutral point of origin. Where you come from, where something starts, the source of a thing. No claim about duration.
desde = a starting point with the span foregrounded. It says "from this moment/place, continuously, up to now (or up to a stated end)." It implies an unbroken stretch.

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The test: does the sentence emphasize that something has been going on without interruption from the starting point until now? If yes → desde. If you are just naming where something comes from → de.

Eu venho de São Paulo.

I come from São Paulo. (plain origin — de)

Eu moro aqui no Rio desde 2010.

I've lived here in Rio since 2010. (continuous span — desde)

The first sentence just locates your origin. The second insists on the unbroken stretch: from 2010, without a break, right up to the moment of speaking. Swapping them breaks the meaning — "venho desde São Paulo" would oddly suggest a continuous journey starting in São Paulo, and "moro aqui de 2010" is simply wrong.

desde with time: the unbroken stretch up to now

This is the most common use of desde, and it pairs naturally with verbs in the present tense to express what English handles with the present perfect ("have lived," "have known"). Portuguese keeps the present because the action is still ongoing.

Não como carne desde janeiro.

I haven't eaten meat since January. (and still don't — desde)

A gente não se fala desde a formatura.

We haven't spoken since graduation. (the silence continues — desde)

Trabalho nessa empresa desde que me formei.

I've worked at this company since I graduated. (desde + clause)

Notice desde que + a clause ("ever since [event]") — a frequent connector. The English since covers both this temporal sense and a causal one ("since you insist"); desde que is only the temporal one (the causal "since" is já que or como in Portuguese).

desde with people and stages of life: desde criança

A vivid use that surprises English speakers: desde can take a noun naming a stage of life to mean "ever since I was a [child / kid / teenager]." The span foregrounded is the speaker's whole life from that stage forward.

Eu te conheço desde criança.

I've known you since we were kids. (unbroken span — desde)

Ela gosta de música clássica desde pequena.

She's liked classical music ever since she was little.

You cannot use de here: "de criança" would not carry the "ever since" meaning. The continuity is exactly what desde contributes.

de for plain origin: where it comes from

De is the workhorse for naming a source with no continuity claim — provenance, the place you just left, the material something is made of, the author of a work. Remember that de contracts with the article: de + o → do, de + a → da.

Acabei de chegar do trabalho, estou exausto.

I just got home from work, I'm exhausted. (origin — do)

Este queijo é da fazenda do meu tio.

This cheese is from my uncle's farm. (source — da)

Recebi uma carta da prefeitura hoje de manhã.

I got a letter from city hall this morning.

None of these is about a continuous span — they name a source, and desde would be wrong in all of them.

de...a vs. desde...até: ranges

When you state a range with two endpoints, Portuguese gives you two paired templates. They overlap heavily, but they carry the same flavor difference as the single prepositions.

Template	Tone	Example
de ... a	neutral range, beginning to end	de segunda a sexta (Monday to Friday)
de ... até	range, slight emphasis on reaching the end	do início até o fim (from the start all the way to the end)
desde ... até	emphasized continuous span across the whole range	desde 2010 até hoje (continuously from 2010 to today)

The neutral, everyday way to give a range is de...a. The desde...até template adds weight to the continuity, and it sounds more deliberate or emphatic — useful when the point is that something held throughout the entire span.

Trabalho de segunda a sexta, das nove às seis.

I work Monday to Friday, from nine to six. (neutral range — de...a)

A loja fica aberta desde as oito da manhã até as dez da noite.

The shop is open from eight in the morning until ten at night. (full continuous span — desde...até)

Ele me explicou tudo, desde o começo até os mínimos detalhes.

He explained everything to me, from the very beginning down to the smallest details. (emphatic span)

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For ordinary ranges (days, hours, prices), default to de...a — it's the unmarked choice. Reach for desde...até only when you want to stress that the whole stretch is covered without a gap.

When only one works

Pure provenance / made-of / authored-by → de only: sou de Minas, bolo de chocolate, um livro de Machado de Assis. ("Desde Minas" would be wrong.)
"Ever since [point], still ongoing" → desde only: desde ontem, desde criança, desde que cheguei.
Both possible, meaning shifts: de manhã ("in the morning," a habitual time slot) vs. desde manhã ("since this morning," a span up to now).

Estou te esperando desde manhã!

I've been waiting for you since this morning! (span — desde)

Eu corro de manhã, antes do café.

I run in the morning, before breakfast. (habitual slot — de)

Common Mistakes

❌ Moro nesse bairro de 2015.

Incorrect — an ongoing span up to now needs desde.

✅ Moro nesse bairro desde 2015.

I've lived in this neighborhood since 2015.

❌ Eu sou desde Salvador, mas moro em Brasília.

Incorrect — plain origin/provenance is de, not desde.

✅ Eu sou de Salvador, mas moro em Brasília.

I'm from Salvador, but I live in Brasília.

❌ Não vejo ela de a semana passada.

Incorrect — 'since last week' (still ongoing) is desde.

✅ Não vejo ela desde a semana passada.

I haven't seen her since last week.

❌ Desde que você insiste tanto, eu vou.

Incorrect — causal 'since' is já que, not desde que (which is temporal).

✅ Já que você insiste tanto, eu vou.

Since you insist so much, I'll go.

❌ A feira acontece desde sábado a domingo.

Incorrect — a neutral range mixes templates; use de...a or desde...até.

✅ A feira acontece de sábado a domingo.

The fair takes place from Saturday to Sunday.

Key Takeaways

de = neutral origin/source, no continuity claim (venho de São Paulo, carta da prefeitura).
desde = a starting point with the unbroken span up to now foregrounded (moro aqui desde 2010, te conheço desde criança).
desde
- present tense often translates the English present perfect ("have lived since...").
Ranges: de...a is the neutral default; desde...até emphasizes the full continuous stretch.
The temporal desde que ("ever since") is not the causal "since" — that's já que / como.

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