de ella
Lemma Details
Translation: of her; from her; about her; hers
Part of Speech: prepositional pronoun
Etymology: Combination of the preposition 'de' (from Latin 'de' meaning 'from, away from, concerning') and the feminine singular third-person pronoun 'ella' (from Latin 'illa' meaning 'that, those'). The construction follows the Spanish pattern of using prepositional phrases to express possession and other relationships that English often handles with possessive pronouns.
Commonality: 90%
Guessability: 80%
Register: neutral
Mnemonics
- Think of 'de' as 'of' and 'ella' as 'her' to remember 'of her'
- The phrase sounds a bit like 'day AY-ya' which can help remember it refers to a female
Related Words, Phrases & Idioms
Cultural Context
In Spanish, possession is often expressed using the preposition 'de' followed by a pronoun, rather than using possessive pronouns as in English. This construction is fundamental to Spanish grammar and is used in many everyday expressions.
Easily Confused With
Explanation: 'Ella' alone is the subject pronoun 'she', while 'de ella' is the prepositional phrase 'of her/hers'.
This word:
El coche es de ella.
The car is hers.
Confused word:
Ella conduce el coche.
She drives the car.
Notes: In Spanish, you need the preposition 'de' to express possession, unlike English which can use possessive pronouns directly.
Mnemonic: 'De ella' has the extra 'de' which indicates possession or origin, like 'of her'.
Explanation: 'Suyo/suya' are possessive pronouns meaning 'hers', while 'de ella' is more explicit about who the possessor is.
This word:
Este libro es de ella.
This book is hers.
Confused word:
Este libro es suyo.
This book is hers.
Notes: 'De ella' is more specific than 'suyo/suya' which can be ambiguous without context.
Mnemonic: 'De ella' specifically points to 'her', while 'suyo/suya' could mean 'his', 'hers', 'yours (formal)', or 'theirs' depending on context.