LoginGenitive Case For Intermediate learners
What Is the Genitive Relation?
Genitive constructions (complemento del sustantivo) show a relationship between two nouns, such as belonging, origin, material, content, and more. In Spanish, one of the common ways of expressing such relations is the use of the preposition "de." For example:
la casa de Juan
Juan's house
un vaso de agua
a glass of water
un anillo de oro
a gold ring
Possession
"De" comes between the item possessed and the name of the possessor to show a relationship of ownership and belonging. For example:
El coche de María es rojo.
Maria's car is red.
El libro de Juan es nuevo.
Juan's book is new.
El cuaderno de la estudiante está sobre la mesa.
The student's notebook is on the table.
Part-Whole Relationship
"De" can also show that the first noun is a smaller part of a second noun which is the whole. For example:
La pata de la mesa es roto.
The table's leg is broken.
La capital de España es Madrid.
The capital of Spain is Madrid.
Origin or Source
To show where someone is from, or where something originates, we can use "de" between the person or thing and the point of origin. For example:
Mi amiga es una chica de España.
My friend is a girl from Spain.
El vino de Chile es excelente.
The wine from Chile is excellent.
Recibí una carta de mi hermano.
I received a letter from my brother.
Material or Composition
We can also use "de" to show what material something is made of or what its component parts are. For example:
Tengo una mesa de madera.
I have a wooden table.
Hace mucho frío; necesitas unos guantes de lana.
It's so cold; I need woolen gloves.
Compró un libro de poemas.
He bought a book of poems.
Other Uses
"De" can also specify the content of a container, or the purpose or function for which something is used. Additionally, it can show the category something belongs to or the topic it is concerned with. Here are some examples:
¿Puedes comprar una botella de agua?
Can you buy a bottle of water?
indicating content
Este jabón de lavadora huele muy bien.
This washing soap smells very good.
indicating purpose
Estamos en una clase de español.
We are in a Spanish class.
showing the category or topic.
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