de él
Lemma Details
Translation: of him; his; from him
Part of Speech: prepositional phrase
Etymology: This phrase combines the preposition 'de' (from Latin 'de' meaning 'from, away from, down from') with the masculine singular personal pronoun 'él' (from Latin 'ille'). The combination creates a possessive construction that is used when the possessor is explicitly mentioned, as opposed to using the possessive adjective 'su'.
Commonality: 90%
Guessability: 80%
Register: neutral
Mnemonics
- Think of 'de' as 'of' and 'él' as 'him' to remember 'of him'
- The phrase follows the same pattern as English possessive constructions with 'of': 'the book of him' = 'el libro de él'
Synonyms
Cultural Context
In Spanish, possessive relationships can be expressed either with possessive adjectives ('su libro' - his book) or with this prepositional phrase construction ('el libro de él' - the book of him/his book). The latter construction is often used to clarify ambiguity, as 'su' can mean 'his', 'her', or 'their'.
Easily Confused With
Explanation: While 'de él' explicitly means 'of him/his', 'su' is an ambiguous possessive adjective that can mean 'his', 'her', 'your (formal)', or 'their'. 'De él' is used for clarity or emphasis.
Notes: Spanish speakers often use 'de él' to disambiguate when context doesn't make clear whose possession is being referred to.
Mnemonic: 'De él' is specific (only 'his'), while 'su' is ambiguous (could be 'his', 'her', 'your', or 'their').
Explanation: 'Del' is a contraction of 'de' + 'el' (of the), while 'de él' is 'de' + 'él' (of him). The accent mark on 'él' distinguishes the personal pronoun from the article 'el'.
Notes: The accent mark on 'él' is crucial for distinguishing between these constructions.
Mnemonic: 'Del' combines with a thing ('del problema' - of the problem), while 'de él' refers to a person ('de él' - of him).