\u201cDeque\u00edsmo\u201d<\/p>\n
It is becoming increasingly more common to hear incorrect expressions \u00a0in Spanish such as:<\/p>\n
Pienso de que\u2026<\/p>\n
Creo de que\u2026<\/p>\n
Opino de que\u2026<\/p>\n
Dije de que\u2026<\/p>\n
Not only among students of the language, but also native speakers. There are certain verbs that require the preposition \u201cde\u201d, but to do so when it is not necessary is a mistake known as \u201cdeque\u00edsmo\u201d. We should be saying:<\/p>\n
Pienso que\u2026<\/p>\n
Creo que\u2026<\/p>\n
Opino que\u2026<\/p>\n
Dije que\u2026<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s have a look at some examples:<\/p>\n
The subject of a sentence never starts with a preposition, and that\u2019s the function performed by the \u201cque..\u201d phrase.
\nThe same thing happens when the phrase is acting as a direct object, especially with \u2018thinking verbs\u2019 (pensar, opinar, creer, considerar, etc.), \u2018speaking\u2019 verbs (decir, comunicar, exponer, etc.), \u2018fearing\u2019 (temer, etc.) and \u2018perceiving\u2019 (ver, o\u00edr, etc.):<\/p>\n
Other verbs require a completely different preposition:<\/p>\n
When acting as an attribute (after the verb \u201cser\u201d), the phrase should not be preceded by the preposition:<\/p>\n
While we have to be aware of these cases, we shouldn\u2019t fall into the trap of eliminating the preposition in every case, since some verbs do require it. Some verbs even have a different meaning depending on whether they are followed by \u201cde\u201d or not:<\/p>\n
advertir algo (to realise)<\/p>\n
advertir de<\/strong> algo a alguien \u00a0(to warn someone about something)<\/p>\n cuidar que (to pay attention to)<\/p>\n cuidar de<\/strong> que (to make sure)<\/p>\n We must also bear in mind that the usage is sometimes different in Spain and Latin America for some of these verbs, so we shouldn\u2019t mark them as incorrect:<\/p>\n informar algo a alguien (Latin Am\u00e9rica)<\/p>\n informar de algo a alguien (Spain).<\/p>\n An easy way to check whether we used the correct expression is to turn the statement into a question:<\/p>\n We should also avoid the opposite mistake: to get rid of the preposition \u201cde\u201d when it\u2019s needed. This phenomenon is known as \u201cque\u00edsmo\u201d, and it\u2019s caused by hypercorrection.<\/p>\n If you still have any questions about this, feel free to ask!<\/p>\n Only one more thing before leaving…\u00a0 let me check if you know which of these sentences is correct:<\/p>\n \u00a1Y esto es todo por hoy, amigos!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cDeque\u00edsmo\u201d It is becoming increasingly more common to hear incorrect expressions \u00a0in Spanish such as: Pienso de que\u2026 Creo de que\u2026 Opino de que\u2026 Dije de que\u2026 Not only among students of the language, but also native speakers. There are certain verbs that require the preposition \u201cde\u201d, but to do so when it is not…<\/p>\n\n
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