de + el = del
Contraction Del
Del normally combines de + article el (“of/from the”). Keep de él separate, and preserve El at the start of a written name or title.
How It Works
Del is a standard Spanish preposition–article contraction. It is formed by combining the preposition 'de' (meaning 'of' or 'from') and the masculine singular definite article 'el' (meaning 'the').
Rule: de + el → del
It can express possession, origin and other relations carried by de. For example:
- Possession: El coche del hombre. (The car of the man / The man's car.)
- Origin: Soy del campo. (I am from the countryside.)
Important: This contraction only happens with 'el'. It does not occur with the other definite articles 'la', 'los', or 'las'.
- de + la → de la (La puerta de la casa.)
- de + los → de los (Los libros de los estudiantes.)
- de + las → de las (Las llaves de las chicas.)
The corresponding contraction with a is al: a + el.
Pronoun and Written-Name Exceptions
Él with a written accent is the pronoun “he/him,” so write de él, not del: El libro es de él. When El starts a proper name or the title of a work, keep it separate in writing: de El Paso; una página de El Aleph. Ordinary lowercase articles before nicknames do contract: del Greco.
Not Only Masculine Nouns
The article el also occurs immediately before feminine nouns beginning with stressed /a/. The contraction still applies: del agua fría. Agua stays feminine; del does not change its gender.
Examples (4)
- El perro del vecino es muy amigable.
The neighbor's dog is very friendly.
Word by Word: The dog of the neighbor is very friendly.
- Vengo del gimnasio ahora mismo.
I'm coming from the gym right now.
Word by Word: I come from the gym right now.
- El final del libro fue sorprendente.
The end of the book was surprising.
Word by Word: The end of the book was surprising.
- ¿Cuál es la capital del país?
What is the capital of the country?
Word by Word: Which is the capital of the country?
Common Mistakes
Forgetting to contract 'de' and 'el'.
El coche de el director es nuevo.El coche del director es nuevo.In this ordinary noun phrase, de + el director must contract to del director. The exceptions for pronoun él and written names or titles beginning with El do not apply here.
Incorrectly contracting 'de' with other articles like 'la'.
La casa dela tía María está en la playa.La casa de la tía María está en la playa.The contraction is with the article form el, not la, los or las. El can also precede a feminine noun beginning with stressed /a/, as in del agua fría; this does not license dela.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand the contraction 'del', you must first be familiar with its two constituent parts: the preposition 'de' (of/from) and the masculine singular definite article 'el' (the). It is also helpful to understand the similar contraction 'al' as they follow the same grammatical logic.
Related Patterns
- el/la/los/lasDefinite Articles
Del combines de with article el, including el before feminine nouns with stressed initial /a/. Other article forms remain separate: de la, de los, de las.
Foundations - a/de/en/con/sinBasic Prepositions
'del' is a contraction involving the preposition 'de'. This pattern explains the common uses of 'de' (like possession and origin), which helps you understand the meaning of 'del'.
Foundations
Words in This Pattern
Practice de + el = del in Bubblegum
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