What does des in Spanish mean?

What is the meaning of the word des in Spanish? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use des in Spanish.

The word des in Spanish means dis-, dis-, give, hand, give, hand, pass, throw, hold, teach, give, produce, bear, give up, take to, take up, take up, be good at, be bad at, pretend to be, bump, slap, lead to, overlook, face, be on, from, [noun]'s, made of, of, of, -, by, during the, from, de-, de-, dis-, de-, D, before you realize it, before you know it. To learn more, please see the details below.

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Meaning of the word des

dis-

prefijo (negación, inversión)

(prefix: Added to front of word stem--for example, unsaid = un+said.)

Ejemplos: deshacer, desactivar.

e.g. deactivate

dis-

prefijo (privación)

(prefix: Added to front of word stem--for example, unsaid = un+said.)

Ejemplo: desterrar.

e.g. dispossess

give, hand

verbo transitivo (entregar, pasar)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")

El jugador dio el balón al árbitro.

The player gave (or: handed) the ball to the referee.

give, hand, pass

verbo transitivo (acercar, traer)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")

Dame el cuchillo, por favor.

Hand (or: pass) me the knife, please.

throw, hold

verbo transitivo (celebrar, ofrecer)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")

El colegio dio la tradicional fiesta de fin de curso.

The school held (or: threw) their traditional end-of-year party.

teach, give

verbo transitivo (enseñar, impartir)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")

Ese profesor da matemáticas.

That teacher teaches maths.

produce, bear

verbo transitivo (cosechas, frutos)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")

El nogal da nueces.

The walnut tree bears nuts.

give up

verbo pronominal (MX: coloquial (rendirse) (colloquial)

(phrasal verb, intransitive: Verb with adverb(s) or preposition(s), having special meaning and not taking direct object--for example, "make up" [=reconcile]: "After they fought, they made up.")

¡Me doy! Tú ganas.

I give up. You win!

take to

(informal (adquirir un vicio) (adopt a bad habit)

(phrasal verb, transitive, inseparable: Verb with adverb(s) or preposition(s), having special meaning, not divisible--for example,"go with" [=combine nicely]: "Those red shoes don't go with my dress." NOT [S]"Those red shoes don't go my dress with."[/S])

A Juan le dio por fumar. Al niño le dio por comerse las uñas y no sé qué hacer.

Juan has taken to smoking. The kid has taken to biting his nails and I don't know what to do.

take up

(informal (desarrollar un interés) (start)

(phrasal verb, transitive, separable: Verb with adverb(s) or preposition(s), having special meaning, divisible--for example, "call off" [=cancel], "call the game off," "call off the game.")

Me dio por la música clásica y ahora estoy más relajado.

I took up classical music and now I am more relaxed.

take up

(informal (adquirir un pasatiempo) (start)

A Luisa le dio por jugar tenis y está muy contenta.

Luisa took up tennis and is very happy.

be good at

(tener habilidad)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

A Diana se le dan bien los idiomas y, por eso, decidió ser intérprete.

Diana is good at languages, so she decided to become an interpreter.

be bad at

(no tener habilidad)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

Como a Luis se le dan mal las matemáticas, su hermano siempre lo ayuda con las tareas.

Because Luis is bad at maths, his brother always helps him with his homework.

pretend to be

(coloquial (presumir de algo)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

José se las da de valiente, pero todos sabemos que en realidad no es más que un cobarde.

José pretends to be brave, but everyone knows he's nothing but a coward.

bump

(CO: coloquial (cuerpo: golpearse algo)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")

Me di en la cabeza al subir al carro.

I bumped my head as I got into the car.

slap

(CO: coloquial (cuerpo: golpear)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")

Se me salió una grosería y la abuela me dio en la cabeza con el paraguas.

I used a swear word and my grandma slapped me on the head with the umbrella.

lead to

(desembocar en)

Este callejón da a la avenida.

This alley leads to the avenue.

overlook, face

(estar orientado hacia)

(intransitive verb: Verb not taking a direct object--for example, "She jokes." "He has arrived.")

La ventana de la habitación da al mar.

The window of the room overlooks the sea.

be on

verbo transitivo (informal (proyectar, pasar)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

A las 7 p. m. dan mi telenovela favorita.

ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. This channel shows classic film every Saturday afternoon.

from

preposición (procedencia)

(preposition: Relates noun or pronoun to another element of sentence--for example, "a picture of John," "She walked from my house to yours.")

Este tren viene de Madrid.

This train comes from Madrid.

[noun]'s

preposición (indica posesión)

(preposition: Relates noun or pronoun to another element of sentence--for example, "a picture of John," "She walked from my house to yours.")

La camioneta de mi hermano es roja. No te comas esas galletas: son de Sofía.

ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. Last year we went on holiday to the Valley of the Kings.

made of

preposición (indica el material)

Compré una jarra de vidrio.

I bought a jar made of glass.

of

preposición (naturaleza, cualidad)

(preposition: Relates noun or pronoun to another element of sentence--for example, "a picture of John," "She walked from my house to yours.")

Mi hermana me regaló un suéter de color azul.

ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. He's not very talkative; he's a man of few words.

of

preposición (señala el contenido)

(preposition: Relates noun or pronoun to another element of sentence--for example, "a picture of John," "She walked from my house to yours.")

¿Tienes sed, quieres un vaso de agua?

Are you thirsty? Do you want a glass of water?

-

preposición (señala el uso)

¿Me prestas tu máquina de coser? Es que llevé la mía al taller.

Can I borrow your sewing machine? Mine is in the shop.

by

preposición (modo, manera, forma)

(preposition: Relates noun or pronoun to another element of sentence--for example, "a picture of John," "She walked from my house to yours.")

Los niños se aprenden de memoria las tablas de multiplicar.

Children learn multiplication tables by heart.

during the

preposición (señala el tiempo)

(preposition: Relates noun or pronoun to another element of sentence--for example, "a picture of John," "She walked from my house to yours.")

Por seguridad, es mejor viajar de día.

For your own safety, it's better if you travel during the day.

from

preposición (causa de algo)

(preposition: Relates noun or pronoun to another element of sentence--for example, "a picture of John," "She walked from my house to yours.")

Lloró de risa.

ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. I think he did it out of pity, more than anything else

de-

prefijo (origen, procedencia)

(prefix: Added to front of word stem--for example, unsaid = un+said.)

El estudiante dedujo la respuesta.

The student deduced the answer.

de-

prefijo (disociación, separación)

(prefix: Added to front of word stem--for example, unsaid = un+said.)

El jefe delimitó el campo de acción de la empresa.

The boss delimited the company's field of action.

dis-

prefijo (privación, inversión)

(prefix: Added to front of word stem--for example, unsaid = un+said.)

La remera se decoloró con el sol.

ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. The t-shirt discolored after a few washes.

de-

prefijo (dirección: de arriba abajo)

(prefix: Added to front of word stem--for example, unsaid = un+said.)

Las ventas decayeron un 20%.

Sales decreased 20%.

D

nombre femenino invariable (numeración romana: quinientos) (Roman numeral denoting 500)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

before you realize it, before you know it

expresión (algo rápido o inesperado)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

Los niños crecen antes de que te des cuenta.

Children grow up before you know it.

Let's learn Spanish

So now that you know more about the meaning of des in Spanish, you can learn how to use them through selected examples and how to read them. And remember to learn the related words that we suggest. Our website is constantly updating with new words and new examples so you can look up the meanings of other words you don't know in Spanish.

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