de - French Definition & Examples

de

/də/d'

preposition

of (possession or relationship)

from (origin or source)

about/regarding

made of / composed of

because of / due to

C'est le sac de mon ami.

It's my friend's bag.

Synonyms:à partir de, depuis, à propos de, concernant

article

some / any (partitive or indefinite quantity, often appearing as de, du, de la, de l')

used after negation and after expressions of quantity where 'du/de la' would otherwise appear

Je voudrais de l'eau.

I would like some water.

Synonyms:du, de la, des, de l'

Notes

De is a very common French preposition meaning "of," "from," or "about." It indicates origin, possession, or a part of something.

It's used for:

Possession: *le livre de Paul* (Paul's book)

Origin: *venir de Paris* (to come from Paris)

Quantity: *beaucoup de sucre* (a lot of sugar)

Material: *une maison de pierre* (a stone house)

Complements: *content de t'aider* (happy to help you)

Watch out for mandatory contractions: de + le becomes du, and de + les becomes des.

Before a vowel or silent 'h', de becomes d' (e.g., *d'eau*).

In negative sentences, *un/une/des* often becomes de: *Je n'ai pas de voiture*.