el: Out Of and From
Out of
El means out of, made of, or from a place.
How It Works
| Meaning | Example |
|---|---|
| out of a place | Kenji eliras el la domo. (Kenji goes out of the house.) |
| out of a container | Ana prenas libron el la sako. (Ana takes a book out of the bag.) |
| what it is made of | ringo el oro (a ring of gold) |
| where someone comes from | Mi estas el Brazilo. (I am from Brazil.) |
Picture a path out of an inside: en la domo is inside the house, and el la domo is out of it. The origin of a person is a similar idea, as in El kie vi estas? (Where are you from?).
El is the usual word for material: ringo el oro. De also means from, but it shows a starting point, not leaving an inside.
El already shows direction, so the noun after it takes no -n: el la domo, never el la domon.
Examples (5)
- Kenji eliras el la domo.
Kenji goes out of the house.
El shows the movement from inside to outside.
- Ana prenas libron el la sako.
Ana takes a book out of the bag.
El shows the container the book comes from.
- La ringo estas el oro.
The ring is made of gold.
El names the material.
- El kie vi estas, Maria?
Where are you from, Maria?
El kie asks for a place of origin.
- Mi estas el Brazilo.
I am from Brazil.
El names the country of origin.
Common Mistakes
Adding -n after el.
Li eliras el la domon.Li eliras el la domo.El already shows direction, so the noun after it takes no -n.
How It Connects
Learn This First
El and de can both mean from, so you learn them side by side.
Related Patterns
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice el: Out Of and From in Bubblegum
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