Spanish has no apostrophe-s construction like English Mary's book. Instead, the preposition de does all the work of showing possession. De is also the standard way to say where someone or something is from. It is one of the most common words in the language, so mastering it pays off quickly.
Possession
To say that something belongs to someone, Spanish uses the pattern [thing] de [owner]. Read it as [thing] of [owner].
El libro de María está sobre la mesa.
María's book is on the table.
Notice how Spanish reverses the order: where English says María's book, Spanish says the book of María. This structure feels clunky to English speakers at first, but it is the only natural way to express possession in Spanish.
The contraction del
When de meets the masculine singular article el, the two must contract to del. This contraction is required (except when El is part of a proper name, as in El Salvador).
| Correct | Wrong |
|---|---|
| el auto del profesor | el auto de el profesor |
| la puerta del edificio | la puerta de el edificio |
| los juguetes del niño | los juguetes de el niño |
El celular del muchacho está en la mesa.
The boy's phone is on the table.
The contraction only happens with el, not with la, los, or las. So you still write de la mujer, de los estudiantes, and de las profesoras.
Asking who owns something
To ask whose in Spanish, use de quién (or de quiénes for a plural owner).
¿De quién es este cuaderno?
Whose notebook is this?
The answer follows the same pattern: Es de Marcos. (It is Marcos's.) Notice how Spanish never attaches the possession directly to the noun; it always uses de.
Origin
De also tells you where someone or something is from. After ser, this is the standard way to give nationality or hometown.
Soy de México, pero vivo en Chile.
I am from Mexico, but I live in Chile.
Este café viene de Colombia.
This coffee comes from Colombia.
When answering ¿De dónde eres? (Where are you from?), most Spanish speakers reply with Soy de... followed by the place name.
Relationships and roles
De is also the way Spanish expresses relationships between people, institutions, and roles. English often uses compound nouns or apostrophe-s for the same idea.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| el padre de Ana | Ana's father |
| la amiga de mi hermana | my sister's friend |
| el director de la escuela | the school's director |
| la capital del país | the country's capital |
La hermana de Roberto trabaja en el hospital.
Roberto's sister works at the hospital.
Part of a whole
De also marks a part of a larger group, similar to English of.
Muchos de mis amigos estudian en la universidad.
Many of my friends study at the university.
Summary
Whenever you want to show possession, origin, or a relationship, reach for de:
- carro de Juan*
- de Perú*
- capital del país*
- Always contract de + el to del.
Once you have these core uses, move on to de for material, content, and type and for superlatives.
Related Topics
- Prepositions OverviewA1 — An introduction to Spanish prepositions and the main words used to connect ideas.
- De: Material, Content, TypeA2 — Using de to describe what something is made of, what it contains, or what kind of thing it is.
- De: After VerbsB1 — Common Spanish verbs that require the preposition de before a noun or infinitive.
- De: After SuperlativesB1 — Why Spanish uses de where English uses in or of after superlative adjectives.