Translation
down from; about
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Examples
.
He is coming down from the mountain.
amicitia.
A book about friendship.
.
He said nothing about this matter.
.
They set out while it was still night.
.
One out of many.
"de" always takes the ABLATIVE. Its literal sense is "down from", which is the one to hold onto, because the figurative sense grows straight out of it: a book is "de amicitia", down from the subject of friendship, hence "about" or "concerning". Roman book titles are full of it.
That second sense is where most of your reading will meet it, and it is the ancestor of the "de" and "di" of French, Spanish and Italian. Do not confuse it with "ex" (out of, from inside) or "ab" (away from the outside of): all three take the ablative, but they point in different directions.
Where this fits
Used in
Stories
(3)Grammar articles
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de: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Latin word "de" (down from; about): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
This word is taught in chapter 1, lesson 3: de, et, in and 11 more words.