The preposition “de” is the most popular in the Portuguese language. With its help, we can connect a verb and a noun and get completely different meanings of a sentence. In class, we do not allocate a separate topic for it, but today we will allow ourselves to collect all the information about it in one article so that you can open it and refresh your knowledge of Portuguese grammar.
Place
Our acquaintance with the preposition “de” begins literally from the first lessons of the Portuguese language, when we learn to talk about ourselves, namely about the city and country of our origin. That is, the preposition “de” literally translates as “from”.
- Eu sou de Portugal. Sou de Lisboa. (I am from Portugal. I am from Lisbon.)
- Os pais dele são do Marrocos. (His parents are from Morocco.)
- We can also use it to mean “from” (direction) in all other situations.
- Ele trouxe um gato da casa da avó. (He brought the cat from his grandmother’s house.)
- Esta carta veio do hospital. (This letter came from the hospital.)
- Let’s remember right away that the preposition “de” merges with definite articles, as you can see in some of the examples above, that is:
- de + a = da: da casa (from the house), da Rússia (from Russia), da Guarda (from Guarda)
- de + o = do: do hospital (from the hospital), do Brasil (from Brazil), do Porto (from Porto)
- de + as = das: das ilhas (from the islands), das Maldivas (from the Maldives)
- de + os = dos: dos prédios (from the buildings), dos Estados Unidos da América (from the USA)
Belonging
Our next encounter with the preposition “de” is the topic of describing our family. With its help, we can describe not only the belonging of family members, friends or some things to each other, but also features of appearance or character. For example:
- A Maria e a filha do Pedro. (Maria is Pedro’s daughter.)
- Eles são os amigos dos meus pais. (They are my parents’ friends.)
- Here we need to mention that the preposition “de” also merges with personal pronouns, that is:
- de + ela = dela: Ela é a mãe dela. (She is her mother.)
- de + ele = dele: Esse gato é dele. (This cat is his.)
- de + elas = delas: Essas coisas são delas. (These things are theirs.)
- de + eles = deles: Os livros são deles. (Their books.)
The preposition “de” also merges with demonstrative pronouns. Let’s see exactly how.
- de + estes/esses = destes/desses: As bicicletas são destes/desses meninos. (These guys’ bikes.)
- de + estas/essas = destas/dessas: As saias são destas/dessas meninas. (These girls’ skirts.)
Material
A unique preposition used to indicate the material of an object. Remember that material does not have a definite article, so the preposition is used in its original form:
- Esta mesa é feita de madeira. (This table is made of wood.)
- Eu prefiro pratos de plástico. (I prefer plastic dishes.)
There are no adjectives in Portuguese that characterize material, so we cannot avoid this construction of “de” plus a noun.
Purpose
Portuguese doesn’t invent new words when new technology comes along, so we need the preposition “de” to describe the technology somehow. Basically, Portuguese use the word “máquina” (machine, mechanism) and then add the purpose.
- Não consigo imaginar a minha vida sem uma máquina de lavar louça. (I can’t imagine my life without a dishwasher.)
- Na escola temos uma máquina de café. (At school we have a coffee machine.)
Actually, if you don’t know a specific word in Portuguese, you can invent it in the same way using the principle above and you will be understood.
Reason
We can explain the reason with other prepositions, but this one too. It is not necessary to pronounce the long word “porque” (because), and now we will prove it with examples.
- Estou a morrer de frio! (I am dying of cold!)
- Estamos a tremer de medo! (We are shaking with fear!)
Position
It is used less frequently in this context, but we still want to show how.
- Pus-me de joelhos. (I knelt down.)
- Deitaste-te de costas. (You lay down on your back.)
- Ele ficou de pé durante toda a reunião. (He stood up during the whole meeting.)
We will also include some cases in this section when a person uses unusual clothing and can be described by this feature, for example:
- Ela foi ao casamento de chapéu. (She went to the wedding wearing a hat.)
- Ele chegou à festa de gravata. (He arrived at the party wearing a tie.)
Means of transport
When we refer to a means of transport in general, without specifying its ownership or number, we must also use the preposition “de”.
- O menino foi ao parque de bicicleta. (The boy went to the park by bike.)
- A família viajou de carro para a praia. (The family traveled to the beach by car.)
Otherwise, we would need the preposition “em”.
Special words and verbs
Some verbs in Portuguese require the preposition “de” after them. Let’s take a look at a list of the most common ones.
gostar (to like), cuidar/tartar (to care), depender (to depend), lembrar-se (to remember), queixar-se (to complain), rir-se (to laugh), desistir (to give up), necessitar/precisar (to need)
- Gosto da tua casa! (I like your house!)
- Cuida bem do teu gato. (Take good care of your cat.)
- Among the special words we can find depois (after), antes (before), além (except), em vez (except).
- Além do trabalho, ela também se dedica a projetos voluntários. (In addition to work, she also devotes herself to volunteer projects.)
- Eu vou comer uma salada em vez de um hambúrguer. (I will eat a salad instead of a hamburger.)
Conclusion
So, the information turned out to be quite voluminous, but simple. In most cases, after a few lessons, you use these rules without thinking. However, it will never be superfluous to repeat this at some stage of life in Portugal.
