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2.11 From and Of in Spanish
From in Spanish - 'Desde'
There are 2 words that mean 'from' in Spanish. Depending on the context you would translate 'from' as 'de' or 'desde'. In most cases 'de' is used:
Mi esposa es de Colombia - My wife is from Colombia
Ellos vienen de la misma ciudad - They come from the same city
Él es el rey de Inglaterra - He is the King of England
The word 'desde' also means 'from' but denotes coming from one location towards/targeting another. Let's look at a few examples:
Este canal se transmite desde Chile - This channel is transmitted from Chile
Ella trabaja desde la casa - She works from home
El tren viene desde Atocha - The train comes from Atocha
Él se cayó desde el cuarto piso - He fell from the fourth floor
Puedes oler el pollo asado desde la calle - You can smell the roast chicken from the street
Escuché los ladrones desde el baño - I heard the thieves from the bathroom
'Desde' is also used to mean 'since':
Aprendo francés desde el año pasado - I have been learning french since last year
No la vemos desde hace mucho tiempo - We haven't seen her in a long time (lit. 'since a long time')
No hemos manejado desde el accidente - We haven't driven since the accident
Of in spanish - 'De'
'De' is also used to mean 'of' in Spanish:
Es la mujer más bella del mundo - She is the most beautiful woman in the world (lit. 'of the world'; de + el = del)
Ella está de mal genio - She is in a bad mood (lit. She is of bad temper)
Él es el alcalde de Santiago - He is the mayor of Santiago
Este pescado no es de mar, es de río - This fish isn't from the sea, it's from the river
Este componente es de acero - This component is (made) of steel
¿Qué opina usted de la decisión? - What do you think (what is your opinion) of the agreement?
De acuerdo - Ok (lit. 'of agreement')