de la

See also: dela, delà, dēlā, and dēla

French

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /də la/
  • (file)

Article

de la f (masculine du, plural des)

  1. of the
  2. some; the feminine partitive article
    Voudriez-vous de la confiture ? ― Would you like some jam?
    J’ai mangé de la tarte ― I ate some pie.

Usage notes

  • While English does have the partitive determiner some, the French article de la frequently translates to nothing at all in English; for example, the above example « J'ai mangé de la tarte » could also be translated simply as “I ate pie.”
  • Like the definite article la (from which it derives), the partitive article de la undergoes elision, becoming de l’- before most words that start with vowel sounds.

Further reading

Romanian

Etymology

de + la, literally, “from at”.

Preposition

de la (+accusative)

  1. from (spatial, relational, causal)
    Synonyms: de, din (not interchangeable)
    Au furat ceva de la casa ta. ― They stole something from your house.
    Am învățat mult de la tine. ― I've learned a lot from you.
    Am obosit de la citit. ― I'm tired from reading.
    de la A la Z ― from A to Z
    de la distanță ― from afar
  2. from, since (temporal)
    Synonyms: de, din (not interchangeable, see notes)
    Este treaz de la ora opt. ― He is awake since eight o'clock.
    de la început ― from the beginning
  3. by (instrumental)
    de la sine ― by itself
  4. Word to join the parts of a compound; sometimes corresponding to "of".
    Synonym: de
    buzunar de la pantalon ― pant pocket
    apă de la robinet ― tap water
    abatere de la lege ― breach of law

Usage notes

  • When constructing phrases of the form "from X to Y", it is usually accompanied by "(până) la": "de la X (până) la Y"

(since (temporal)):

de la is usually used together with a fixed point in time (though not with dates):

de la ora nouă ― since nine o'clock
de la ianuarie ― since January

din is usually used together with dates or in certain expressions:

din (anul) 2000 ― since (the year) 2000
din acel moment ― from that moment on

de is usually used for time frames:

de un an ― for a year
de mult timp ― for a long time

Derived terms

  • de la sine
  • de la distanță, de la depărtare
  • de la început, de la bun început
  • de la cap la coadă
  • de la un capăt la altul
  • de la A la Z
  • de la Ana la Caiafa
  • de la egal la egal
  • de la caz la caz

Spanish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /de la/ [d̪e la]
  • Syllabification: de la

Article

de la

  1. of the
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