Of and from – using de
When de is used on its own, it is a preposition which means 'of' or 'from'. For example:
- c'est le livre de Mathieu- it's Mathieu's book
- je viens de Marseille en France - I come from Marseilles in France
Here, de indicates whose thing it is or where you are coming from. When de comes before a vowel or a silent –h it changes to d’:
- c'est le livre d'Angèle - it's Angèle's book
- je viens d'Avignon en France - I come from Avignon in France
De is also used in phrases with verbs like finir de, refuser de, décider de... It is usually followed by an infinitive. For example:
- il refuse d’aller à l’école - he is refusing to go to school
- on a décidé de partir en vacances - we’ve decided to go on holiday
