What is it made of? ser de
To say what a thing is made of, Spanish uses ser de and the material, with no article: es de madera — it is made of wood. To ask, the preposition goes first: ¿De qué es…?
| What is this table made of? It is made of wood. | ¿De qué es esta mesa? Es de madera. |
| This glass is made of plastic. | Este vaso es de plástico. |
| These shoes are made of leather. | Estos zapatos son de piel. |
The material after the noun
English puts the material in front of the noun (a wooden box, plastic plates). Spanish puts it after, joined with de, and the material never agrees and never takes an article: una caja de madera, los platos de plástico. To avoid repeating the noun, keep only the article: la de plástico (the plastic one).
| The wooden table is more expensive than the plastic one. | La mesa de madera es más cara que la de plástico. |
| material | meaning | example |
|---|---|---|
| la madera | wood | una caja de madera |
| el plástico | plastic | un vaso de plástico |
| el metal | metal | una lámpara de metal |
| la tela | fabric, cloth | un bolso de tela |
| el algodón | cotton | una camiseta de algodón |
| la piel | leather | un cinturón de piel |
La piel is also the word for skin; for shoes, bags, belts and jackets it means leather.
| The leather bag is very expensive. | El bolso de piel es muy caro. |
Shapes: redondo and cuadrado
Shapes are ordinary -o adjectives: they go after the noun and agree with it.
| masculine | feminine | |
|---|---|---|
| singular | redondo, cuadrado | redonda, cuadrada |
| plural | redondos, cuadrados | redondas, cuadradas |
| Is the table round or square? | ¿La mesa es redonda o cuadrada? |
| The square cushion is prettier than the round one. | El cojín cuadrado es más bonito que el redondo. |
The color naranja
As a color, naranja does not change for gender: un coche naranja, una camiseta naranja. With the article, la naranja is the fruit.
| I am wearing an orange T-shirt. | Llevo una camiseta naranja. |
| I love the color orange. | Me encanta el color naranja. |
Common mistakes
- una madera mesa ✗ → una mesa de madera ✓
- una mesa de la madera ✗ → una mesa de madera ✓ (no article before the material)
- ¿Qué es de? ✗ → ¿De qué es? ✓ (the preposition comes first)
- una camiseta naranjo ✗ → una camiseta naranja ✓
