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Of vs from
Of shows what something contains or belongs to (a cup of tea); from shows where it comes from or who gives it (I'm from Peru).
Quick rule
Where it comes from, or who sends it? From. What it contains, is part of, or belongs to? Of. Adjectives such as afraid and proud take of.
Shows what something contains, what it belongs to, or which part of a whole it is: a cup of tea, the name of the street.
Shows where something comes from: origin, starting point, or who gives it. I'm from Peru, a gift from my aunt.
Why it trips people up
English splits what Spanish says with "de". From points to where something comes from. Of connects a thing to what it contains, what it belongs to, or the group it is part of.
How each one works
Of
What a container holds
She drinks a cup of tea every morning.
Something that belongs to another thing
What is the name of this street?
A part of a group
Two of my friends live in Spain.
From
Your country of origin
I'm from Peru, but I live in Texas.
Who gives it
This gift is from my aunt.
The starting point of a schedule
The clinic is open from eight to four.
What comes next
a cup, glass, or piece of plus something
I need a piece of paper.
full of, afraid of, proud of plus something
The bus was full of tourists.
be from plus place
My teacher is from Canada.
get, hear, or borrow from plus person or place
I got a message from Ana this morning.
from plus start plus to plus end
The market is open from Monday to Saturday.
Set phrases
Of
- a lot of
- a large amount of something
- of course
- yes, as you would expect
From
- far from
- at a long distance from a place
- from time to time
- sometimes, but not often
Almost the same
It's a photo of my father.
My father is in the picture.
It's a photo from my father.
My father sent or gave it to me.
She is a teacher of English.
She teaches that subject.
She is a teacher from England.
That is her country of origin.
In a conversation
- A:
Where are you from?
- B:
I'm from Colombia. A small town outside Bogotá.
- A:
What's the name of the town?
- B:
Zipaquirá. It's famous for a cathedral made of salt.
- A:
Wow! Do you have any photos?
- B:
Yes, a friend of mine sent me some from there.
Common mistakes
Wrong: I'm afraid from spiders.
Right: I'm afraid of spiders.
The adjective afraid is followed by of, not from.
Wrong: She's a friend from my sister.
Right: She's a friend of my sister.
A friend of my sister means she is my sister's friend. From would tell where she comes from.
Memory trick
Ask if something travels from a place or person to you. If so, from. If it is the contents or a part of something, of.
It depends
- Made of and made from
- Made of is used when you can still see the material: a table made of wood. Made from is used when it changes: wine is made from grapes.
FAQ
Which is right, made of or made from?
Use made of when you can still see the material (a chair made of wood). Use made from when it changes (paper is made from wood).
What is the difference between of and from?
From answers "where did it come from?", as in a call from Ana. Of answers "what is it part of?", as in the first page of the book.
Do you say I am from Peru or I am of Peru?
Say I am from Peru. Of Peru sounds like a title, as in the President of Peru.