De Vs Desde

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De and Desde are both Spanish prepositions. They both share some similarities and differences, which is why most of the times, Spanish language beginners tend to make the mistake of using one where the other is required.

De and Desde similarities:

• They are both prepositions.
• De and Desde can both be used to talk about location (from) and sometimes when making some time expressions. Por Ejemplo: "de allí al supermercado",  and "desde allí al supermercado" both mean "from there to the supermarket".

De and Desde Differences:

Surprisingly, there exits more differences than similarities between "de" and "desde".

De:

• De as a preposition has more functions than Desde.
• In relation with belongings or possessions (En relaciones de pertenencia, posesión.)
• To introduce a name in apposition (Introduciendo un nombre en aposición)
• Expressing provenance, origin, time (Expresando procedencia, origen, tiempo)
• Expressing cause, means (Expresando causa, modo)
• Indicating use, destination, finality (Indicando uso, destino, finalidad), etc.

Desde:

Desde is used in:

• In time (En el tiempo)
• In Space( en el espacio), etc.

Examples with De:

A. Hoy es el cumpleaños de Marta.  Today is Martha's birthday.

B. La ciudad de Lagos es muy grande. The city of Lagos is very big.

C. Los señores de Díaz.    Mr. and Mrs. Díaz.

D. Clara es de Estados Unidos.  Clara is from the United States.

E. Tengo clase de 1 (uno) a 3 (tres).  I have class from 1 to 3.

Examples with Desde:

A. Fernando estaba enfermo desde hacía un año.  Fernando had been ill for a year.

B. Se enamoraron desde el primer día. They fell in love from the first day.

C. Desde mi punto de vista, no es necesario ducharse cada día. From my point of view, it is not necessary to have one's bath each day or every day.

D. Desde que se mudó de aquí, no me había llamado.  Since he moved or parked out from here, he had not called me.