Two short forms look alike but play different roles.

The idea

Use de as a preposition and dé as a present subjunctive form of dar, also used for a formal command.

Examples

  • La puerta es de madera.The door is made of wood.
  • El paquete viene de Chile.The parcel comes from Chile.
  • Necesito una taza de agua.I need a cup of water.
  • Espero que me dé la llave.I hope they give me the key.
  • Pida que le dé una copia.Ask them to give you a copy.
  • Quizá el jardín nos dé tomates.Perhaps the garden will give us tomatoes.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Spanish voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

Do not add an accent to de merely because a noun follows it.

Try it yourself

  1. Choose the correct form: El libro ___ mi vecino está aquí. (de / dé)

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    de

    de links the book to its owner.

  2. Choose the correct form: Por favor, ___ una entrada al visitante. (de / dé)

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    dé

    dé expresses the requested act of giving.

  3. Choose the correct form: Ojalá la profesora nos ___ más tiempo. (de / dé)

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    dé

    dé follows a wish about the teacher giving time.

Use it today

Choose the form that fits each sentence.