De (from, of)
Guide to the Irish preposition 'de' (from, of): conjugated forms (díom, díot, de, dhi, dínn, díbh, díobh), dative case, partitives, and comparison.
The preposition de primarily means “from” or “of”. It has a very wide range of uses, from indicating origin and material to forming partitive and appositional phrases. It requires the dative case for the noun that follows it.
Initial Mutations
The preposition de causes lenition on the noun that follows it.
Without the Article
When de is used without an article, it causes lenition.
- de thír - from a country
With the Singular Article
When de combines with the singular article an to form den, it also causes lenition.
- den Ghearmáin - from Germany
If the noun begins with ‘s’, a t-prefix is added instead of lenition.
- den tsagart - from the priest
Forms of ‘de’
Before Vowels and ‘fh’
Before a word starting with a vowel or fh-, de becomes d’.
- d’Úna - from Úna
With the Article
de combines with the singular article an but not the plural article na.
| Combination | Result |
|---|---|
de + an | den |
de + na | de na |
In Questions
To ask “from whom?” or “from what?”, de is used with interrogative pronouns.
- Cé de? - From whom?
- Cad de? / Cé de? / Cá de? - From what?
These questions are typically followed by an indirect relative clause.
With Pronouns (Conjugated Forms)
Like all Irish prepositions, de combines with pronouns to form a single word, often called a prepositional pronoun or a conjugated preposition.
| Person | Standard Form | Emphatic Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. (I) | díom | díomsa | from me |
| 2nd sg. (you) | díot | díotsa | from you |
| 3rd sg. (he/it) | de | desean | from him/it |
| 3rd sg. (she/it) | di | dise | from her/it |
| 1st pl. (we) | dínn | dínne | from us |
| 2nd pl. (you) | díbh | díbhse | from you |
| 3rd pl. (they) | díobh | díobhsan | from them |
- Tóg grianghraf díom! - Take a photo of me!
- Tá mé buíoch díot. - I am grateful to you.
With Possessive Pronouns
de can also be followed by a possessive pronoun.
| Person | Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. (my) | de mo | from my |
| 2nd sg. (your) | de do | from your |
| 3rd sg. (his/her/its) | dá | from his/her/its |
| 1st pl. (our) | dár | from our |
| 2nd pl. (your) | de bhur | from your |
| 3rd pl. (their) | dá | from their |
In Relative Clauses
de combines with the relative pronoun a and the relative particle ar.
| Tense | With Relative Pronoun | With Copula | With Copula (before vowel) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | dá | dar | darb | from which/who |
| Past | dár | dar | darbh | from which/who |
When used with the general relative pronoun, the forms are dá (present) and dár (past), meaning “from all that”.
Usage
de has a wide variety of uses beyond its core meaning.
Distance and Separation
It indicates removal, separation, or ceasing an activity. This is similar to ó, but de focuses on the separation itself, whereas ó focuses on the starting point.
- Thit sé den chathaoir. - He fell from the chair.
- Stad sé den ól. - He stopped drinking.
- Tóg den bhord é. - Take it off the table!
- Bain dhíot an cóta. - Take off your coat.
- Scaoil díom! - Let me go!
Attachment and Continuation
Conversely, de can mean attaching something to a surface or continuing with an action.
- Greamaíonn sé den bhalla é. - He attaches it to the wall.
- Leanaim den obair. - I continue with the work.
- Lean de sin! - Stick with that!
Relative Position
It is used with adverbs of place to mean “of”.
- laistiar den teach - behind the house
- taobh abhus den abhainn - this side of the river
Origin and Descent
de is used to indicate family origin or belonging to a group.
- bean de Ghearaltach - a Fitzgerald woman (a woman of the Fitzgeralds)
- Cér díobh thú? - To which family do you belong?
Cause
It can indicate the cause or reason for something.
- Fuair sé bás den ocras. - He died of hunger.
- de bhrí - because of
- de bharr - as a result of
- Tá mé tuirseach den chaint. - I am tired of the talking.
Material and Substance
de is used to say what something is made of.
- Rinneadh d’adhmad é. - It was made of wood.
- déanta de phrás - made of brass
Content and Filling
It indicates what something is filled with.
- Líonaim d’uisce é. - I fill it with water.
- lán de chlocha - full of stones
Depiction
It means “of” when describing a picture or photograph.
- pictiúr de Sheán - a picture of Seán
Instrument
de can indicate the instrument used for an action, especially a sudden one.
- buille de bhata - a blow with a stick
- de léim - with a jump
- de traein - by train
- de bhóthar - by road
Apposition
de is used to link a noun to another noun that describes or classifies it.
- amadán de mhac - a fool of a son
- a leithéid de lá - such a day
- Is fearr d’fhear é ná Seán. - He is a better man than Seán.
- Is sine de chúig bliana é. - He is five years older.
Partitive Usage (Subset)
It is used to mean “of” when referring to a part of a larger group, often replacing the partitive genitive.
- cuid de na daoine - some of the people
- triúr de na mná - three of the women
- leabhar de chuid Joyce - a book by Joyce (one of Joyce’s books)
It can also express belonging or characteristics.
- Is den mhúineadh é. - It is part of good manners.
- Tá sé de cheart agam é a dhéanamh. - I have the right to do it.
Time and Duration
de can be used in time expressions.
- ag obair de ló is d’oíche - working day and night
- den chéad uair - for the first time
In Relation To
It appears in many fixed phrases to mean “according to” or “concerning”.
- de réir - according to
- de mo dhóighse - in my opinion
- de mo dheoin - with my consent / willingly
- de m’ainneoin - against my will
In Names
de appears in many names of Anglo-Norman origin, corresponding to the French “de” or English “the”.
- de Búrca - Burke
- de Buitléir - Butler