del
Lemma Details
Translation: of the; from the
Part of Speech: contraction
Etymology: The Spanish word 'del' is a contraction of the preposition 'de' (of, from) and the masculine definite article 'el' (the). This type of contraction is mandatory in Spanish when these two words appear together. The English equivalent would be contractions like 'don't' or 'can't', though English doesn't contract prepositions with articles in the same way.
Commonality: 95%
Guessability: 70%
Register: neutral
Mnemonics
- Think of 'del' as 'de + el' squished together because they're always used together.
- Remember that 'del' works like the apostrophe in English contractions - it shows that two words have been combined.
Synonyms
Example Wordforms
Cultural Context
This contraction is mandatory in standard Spanish, unlike English where contractions are often optional and sometimes considered informal. Using 'de el' instead of 'del' would be considered grammatically incorrect in formal writing and speech.
Easily Confused With
Explanation: 'Del' is a contraction of 'de' + 'el', while 'de' is just the preposition by itself meaning 'of' or 'from'. 'Del' is used only before masculine singular nouns, while 'de' can be used in many other contexts.
Confused word:
Vengo de casa.
I'm coming from home.
Notes: Remember that 'del' is only used before masculine singular nouns that use 'el' as their article. Before feminine nouns, plurals, or words that don't use 'el', you would use just 'de'.
Mnemonic: 'Del' has the 'l' from 'el' (the masculine article), so it's used with masculine singular nouns.
Explanation: Both are contractions, but 'del' combines 'de' (of/from) + 'el', while 'al' combines 'a' (to) + 'el'.
Confused word:
Voy al mercado.
I'm going to the market.
Notes: Both contractions are mandatory in standard Spanish and are used only with masculine singular nouns.
Mnemonic: 'Del' starts with 'd' for 'de' (of/from), while 'al' starts with 'a' for 'a' (to).