Dequeísmo and Queísmo | Spanish (Latin America) Grammar

Two of the most common grammatical errors in Spanish — even among native speakers — involve the small word de before que. Dequeísmo is adding de where it doesn't belong. Queísmo is dropping de where it's needed. Both errors are stigmatized in careful speech and writing, and learning to avoid them is a sign of grammatical precision.

What Is Dequeísmo?

Dequeísmo is the incorrect insertion of de before que after verbs, expressions, or structures that do not require it.

*Creo de que viene. → Creo que viene.

I think he's coming.

*Dijo de que estaba cansado. → Dijo que estaba cansado.

He said he was tired.

*Pienso de que es mejor así. → Pienso que es mejor así.

I think it's better this way.

In each case, the verb (creer, decir, pensar) takes a direct object clause introduced by que — no preposition is needed. Adding de is hypercorrection, often driven by the speaker's awareness that some constructions do require de que and overextending the pattern.

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Dequeísmo is extremely common in spoken Spanish across many regions. You'll hear it from educated speakers. That doesn't make it standard — in careful writing and formal contexts, it's considered an error. Knowing the correct form gives you an advantage.

What Is Queísmo?

Queísmo is the opposite error: incorrectly dropping a required de before que.

*Me alegro que estés bien. → Me alegro de que estés bien.

I'm glad you're well.

*Estoy seguro que viene. → Estoy seguro de que viene.

I'm sure he's coming.

*Se dio cuenta que era tarde. → Se dio cuenta de que era tarde.

He realized it was late.

Here, the verbs and adjectives govern the preposition de — alegrarse de algo, seguro de algo, darse cuenta de algo. When the complement is a clause, the de must stay.

The Diagnostic Test: Replace With "Eso"

The simplest and most reliable way to check whether de is needed is to replace the entire que clause with the pronoun eso (that).

If you'd say the verb/adjective + eso (without de), then use plain que.
If you'd say the verb/adjective + de eso (with de), then use de que.

Test	Result	Correct Form
Creo eso (not creo de eso)	No de	Creo que viene
Me alegro de eso (not me alegro eso)	De needed	Me alegro de que estés bien
Dijo eso (not dijo de eso)	No de	Dijo que vendría
Estoy seguro de eso	De needed	Estoy seguro de que viene
Se dio cuenta de eso	De needed	Se dio cuenta de que era tarde
Pienso eso	No de	Pienso que es mejor

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The eso test works in virtually every case. Before writing or saying a que clause, quickly substitute eso and listen for whether de sounds right. Creo eso → creo que. Me enteré de eso → me enteré de que. It takes two seconds and prevents both errors.

Verbs That Take Que (No De)

These common verbs take a direct que clause with no preposition.

Verb	Example
creer	Creo que es verdad.
pensar	Pienso que tiene razón.
decir	Dijo que venía.
saber	Sé que está acá.
esperar	Espero que vengas.
querer	Quiero que me ayudes.
sentir	Siento que estés mal.
opinar	Opino que es mejor.
suponer	Supongo que sí.
parecer	Parece que va a llover.

Espero que todo salga bien.

I hope everything turns out well.

Parece que va a llover.

It seems like it's going to rain.

Verbs and Expressions That Take De Que

These verbs and expressions require de before que.

Verb / Expression	Example
alegrarse de	Me alegro de que hayas venido.
darse cuenta de	Me di cuenta de que era mentira.
estar seguro de	Estoy seguro de que funciona.
tener miedo de	Tiene miedo de que lo descubran.
acordarse de	Me acordé de que tenía cita.
tratar de (= be about)	Se trata de que entiendan el tema.
enterarse de	Me enteré de que se mudaron.
convencer de	Lo convencí de que viniera.
arrepentirse de	Se arrepintió de que lo hubiera dicho.

Me di cuenta de que ya era tarde.

I realized it was already late.

Tengo miedo de que algo salga mal.

I'm afraid something will go wrong.

Me enteré de que se casaron.

I found out they got married.

After Nouns

When a que clause follows a noun, de que is almost always required — mirroring the structure noun + de + noun.

La idea de que todo es posible.

The idea that anything is possible.

El hecho de que no llamó me preocupa.

The fact that he didn't call worries me.

La posibilidad de que llueva es alta.

The possibility that it will rain is high.

Common nouns: la idea, el hecho, la posibilidad, el riesgo, la esperanza, la noticia, el temor, la impresión.

After Adjectives With De

Adjectives that take de before a noun also take de before que.

Estoy cansada de que me pregunten lo mismo.

I'm tired of being asked the same thing.

Estamos conscientes de que es difícil.

We're aware that it's difficult.

Common adjectives: seguro de, contento de, cansado de, consciente de, harto de, convencido de.

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Some verbs change meaning depending on whether they take de que or plain que. Informar que means to state that, while informar de que means to inform about the fact that. When in doubt, check with the eso test and consult a dictionary.

Tricky Cases

A few constructions cause particular confusion because they are borderline or vary by region.

Informar

Le informo que la reunión es mañana.

I'm informing you that the meeting is tomorrow.

Le informo de que hubo cambios.

I'm informing you that there were changes.

Both forms exist and are considered correct by the RAE, though they carry slightly different nuances. Informar que (direct) simply states, while informar de que frames the content as a topic being reported on.

Advertir

Te advierto que va a ser difícil.

I'm warning you that it's going to be hard.

Advertir in the sense of to warn takes plain que — not de que. The eso test confirms: Te advierto eso (no de).

Dudar

Dudo que venga.

I doubt he's coming.

Dudo de que sea verdad.

I doubt that it's true.

Dudar can take either que or de que. Both are accepted, though dudar que (without de) is slightly more common in most Latin American varieties.

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When in doubt about borderline verbs, always fall back on the eso test. If both Dudo eso and Dudo de eso sound natural, the verb allows both forms. This is rare — most verbs clearly prefer one or the other.

A Quick-Reference Decision Tree

Identify the verb, noun, or adjective before que.
Replace the que clause with eso.
Does the verb/noun/adjective naturally take de before eso?
- Yes → Use de que.
- No → Use plain que.

This three-step process eliminates both dequeísmo and queísmo.

Where to Go Next

For a broader look at how noun clauses function as subjects and objects, see Noun Clauses. For the detailed treatment of complement clauses including mood choice, see Complement Clauses. For how subordinate clauses fit into the larger picture, review Subordinate Clauses Overview.