Spanish flag

'Una mesa de madera': how Spanish says what things are made of

In English you can put a material straight in front of an object: a leather jacket, a gold watch, a plastic bag. Sometimes English adds an adjective ending instead, as in wooden or woolen. Spanish does neither. It names the object first, then adds de and the word for the material by itself: una chaqueta de cuero, un reloj de oro, una bolsa de plástico.

English speakers often copy the English word order and produce things like una madera mesa or un cuero chaqueta. Spanish speakers find these confusing or simply wrong. The fix is one small, very regular pattern that works for almost every material: madera, papel, piedra, plata and dozens more.

Word list
nievefA1 snow un muñeco de nieve = a snowman papelmA1 paper un avión de papel = a paper airplane arenafA2 sand un castillo de arena = a sandcastle broncemA2 bronze una estatua de bronce = a bronze statue cueromA2 leather una chaqueta de cuero = a leather jacket hielomA2 ice una escultura de hielo = an ice sculpture hierromA2 iron una puerta de hierro = an iron door maderafA2 wood una mesa de madera = a wooden table metalmA2 metal de metal = metal oromA2 gold de oro = made of gold piedrafA2 stone una casa de piedra = a stone house plásticomA2 plastic una bolsa de plástico = a plastic bag platafA2 silver un anillo de plata = a silver ring vidriomA2 glass una botella de vidrio = a glass bottle cristalmB1 glass de cristal = glass ladrillomB1 brick una pared de ladrillo = a brick wall lanafB1 wool un jersey de lana = a wool sweater pinomB1 pine tree un armario de pino = a pine wardrobe sedafB1 silk una corbata de seda = a silk tie aceromB2 steel un cuchillo de acero = a steel knife algodónmB2 cotton una camiseta de algodón = a cotton T-shirt aluminiomB2 aluminium una lata de aluminio = an aluminum can bambúmB2 bamboo una silla de bambú = a bamboo chair barromB2 mud una vasija de barro = an earthenware pot carbonomB2 carbon una bici de carbono = a carbon bike cartónmB2 cardboard una caja de cartón = a cardboard box cauchomB2 rubber una pelota de caucho = a rubber ball cerafB2 wax una figura de cera = a wax figure cerámicafB2 ceramic un plato de cerámica = a ceramic plate cobremB2 copper una olla de cobre = a copper pot concretomB2 concrete de concreto = concrete gomafB2 rubber unas botas de goma = rubber boots granitomB2 granite una encimera de granito = a granite countertop gravafB2 gravel un camino de grava = a gravel path hormigónmB2 concrete un muro de hormigón = a concrete wall magnesiomB2 magnesium unas llantas de magnesio = magnesium wheels mármolmB2 marble una escalera de mármol = marble stairs olivomB2 olive tree una tabla de olivo = an olive-wood board pielfB2 fur un abrigo de piel = a fur coat plomomB2 lead una tubería de plomo = a lead pipe porcelanafB2 porcelain una taza de porcelana = a porcelain cup roblemB2 oak una mesa de roble = an oak table acero inoxidablemC1 stainless steel una sartén de acero inoxidable = a stainless steel pan ámbarmC1 amber un collar de ámbar = an amber necklace arcillafC1 clay una vasija de arcilla = a clay pot cincmC1 zinc de cinc = zinc corchomC1 cork un tablón de corcho = a cork board gravillafC1 gravel un sendero de gravilla = a fine-gravel path linomC1 linen pantalones de lino = linen trousers marfilmC1 ivory una figura de marfil = an ivory figure pajafC1 straw un sombrero de paja = a straw hat platinomC1 platinum un anillo de platino = a platinum ring tejidomC1 fabric una chaqueta de tejido sintético = a synthetic fabric jacket telafC1 fabric zapatos de tela = canvas/fabric shoes zincmC1 zinc un tejado de zinc = a zinc roof acero inoxmC2 stainless steel un fregadero de acero inox = a stainless steel sink chatarrafC2 scrap metal una escultura de chatarra = a scrap-metal sculpture contrachapadomC2 plywood una tabla de contrachapado = a plywood board estañomC2 tin un soldadito de estaño = a tin soldier latónmC2 brass un pomo de latón = a brass doorknob mimbremC2 wicker una cesta de mimbre = a wicker basket resinafC2 resin una figura de resina = a resin figure siliciomC2 silicon un chip de silicio = a silicon chip terciopelomC2 velvet una chaqueta de terciopelo = a velvet jacket titaniomC2 titanium un marco de titanio = a titanium frame yesomC2 plaster una moldura de yeso = a plaster molding
How it works

The recipe is always the same: object + de + material. The material comes after the object. It has no article and normally stays singular, even when there are several objects.

  • una mesa de madera (not una mesa de la madera)
  • dos sillas de madera (the material does not become plural)
  • Any adjective describing the object agrees with the object, not with the material: una silla de madera nueva.

Rule of thumb: if you can ask what it is made of in English, answer with de in Spanish.

Compré una silla de madera.
(I bought a wooden chair.)
Los niños hacen aviones de papel.
(The children are making paper airplanes.)
The words
Metals

The everyday ones are oro, plata, hierro, metal and bronce. Later you will meet acero, acero inoxidable, cobre, aluminio, plomo, platino, estaño, latón, titanio and zinc (also spelled cinc).

Lleva un reloj de oro.
(He wears a gold watch.)
Mi abuela me regaló un anillo de plata.
(My grandmother gave me a silver ring.)
Necesito una sartén de acero inoxidable.
(I need a stainless steel frying pan.)
Fabrics and animal materials

For clothes you will need cuero, lana, seda, algodón, lino, terciopelo and piel. The general words tela and tejido (fabric) work the same way. Marfil (ivory) belongs here too.

Esta camiseta es de algodón.
(This T-shirt is cotton.)
En invierno uso un jersey de lana.
(In winter I wear a wool sweater.)
Building materials

These include piedra, ladrillo, mármol, granito, yeso, hormigón (concreto in much of Latin America) and contrachapado.

Viven en una casa de piedra.
(They live in a stone house.)
Household and natural materials

This group covers plástico, vidrio, cristal, cartón, porcelana, cerámica, arcilla, goma, caucho, corcho, cera, bambú, mimbre and paja. Newer materials such as poliéster, nailon or ante (suede) follow the same pattern.

¿Tiene una bolsa de plástico?
(Do you have a plastic bag?)
Pon las flores en el jarrón de cristal.
(Put the flowers in the glass vase.)
En la playa llevaba un sombrero de paja.
(At the beach she wore a straw hat.)
Watch out
Made of gold or just gold-colored?

De oro means it really is gold. Dorado only describes the color, or a gilded surface. The same goes for de plata versus plateado (silver-colored).

Real adjectives exist, but they are the exception

Metálico (metallic) and plástico used as an adjective do exist. In everyday speech, though, de metal and de plástico are the safe, normal choice.

Glass: two words

Vidrio is the neutral word for the material. In Spain, cristal is very common in everyday speech: una botella de cristal.

Piel

Un abrigo de piel is a fur coat. In Spain, de piel often also means leather, as in zapatos de piel.

The same pattern with ser

To say what something is made of, use ser de: La mesa es de madera.

No es de oro, solo es dorado.
(It isn't gold, it's just gold-colored.)
Summary

When English puts a material in front of a noun (a leather bag, a wooden chair, a gold ring), Spanish puts the object first and adds de plus the material by itself: un bolso de cuero, una silla de madera, un anillo de oro. Use no article, keep the material singular, and save dorado or plateado for things that only look like gold or silver.