A single preposition can describe what an object is made of or what a container holds.
The idea
Use de before a material, as in cuchara de madera, or before contents, as in taza de té. Context distinguishes the two.
Examples
- La cuchara es de madera.The spoon is made of wood.
- Compramos una mesa de vidrio.We bought a glass table.
- En la cocina hay una taza de té.There is a cup of tea in the kitchen.
- La caja de cartón está vacía.The cardboard box is empty.
- Sirvo un vaso de agua.I pour a glass of water.
- Llevamos una botella de jugo al parque.We take a bottle of juice to the park.
Read-aloud uses a synthetic Spanish voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
No Spanish device voice is available. You can still read the text.
Watch out
A glass made of glass and a glass of water describe different relationships: the first names material, the second contents.
Try it yourself
Complete with the preposition: the ring is made of silver.
Show answer or example answer
de
de introduces the silver the ring is made of.
Complete with the preposition: I want a bowl of soup.
Show answer or example answer
de
de links the bowl to its soup.
Complete with the preposition: the door is made of metal.
Show answer or example answer
de
de introduces the metal of the door.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Spanish sentences where available. We keep your score.
Complete with the preposition: the ring is made of silver.
Complete with the preposition: I want a bowl of soup.
Complete with the preposition: the door is made of metal.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Keep your progress
Sign up for free to save your practice results in your account.
Sign up to saveI already have an accountUse it today
Describe one object by its material and one container by its contents.