The Spanish word "desde" is spelled with four letters, but it has five sounds. This is because the letter "d" and "s" create a unique sound combination in Spanish, known as a "cluster." The IPA phonetic transcription for "desde" is /ˈdes.ðe/. The first sound is a dental fricative /d/ followed by a sibilant /s/ sound. Then, we have a vocalic sound /ðe/, which closes the word. Native speakers quickly and easily produce and recognize this unique sound combination.
"Desde" is a Spanish preposition that translates to "from" or "since" in English. It is typically used to indicate a starting point in time or space.
In reference to time, "desde" signifies the beginning of a period or the starting point of an action. It is usually used with the present tense and signifies the duration of an ongoing action or state. For example, "Trabajo desde las nueve" translates to "I work from nine (o'clock)." This conveys that the person starts working at nine and continues working thereafter.
When used to express movement or location, "desde" clarifies the point of origin or starting point of a journey. For instance, "Salgo desde mi casa" means "I'm leaving from my house." Here, "desde" indicates that the departure happens at the person's home.
Additionally, "desde" can be used to specify a cause or reason, similar to "due to" or "because of" in English. In this context, it introduces the cause behind an action or event. For example, "Está enfermo desde ayer" translates to "He has been sick since yesterday." Here, "desde" highlights that the person fell ill beginning from yesterday.
Overall, "desde" serves as a versatile preposition in Spanish, operating as a temporal or spatial marker as well as a connector for cause and effect relationships.
The word desde has its origins in the Latin language. It is derived from the Latin preposition de meaning from, out of and the Latin preposition ex meaning from, out of. These two prepositions merged to form the Latin preposition dex or des meaning from, down from. Over time, des evolved into desde in Spanish, maintaining its original meaning of from, since.