When to use de verus à for possesion

Question

Un stylo est à moi
Un stylo est de moi?

Accepted Answer

Hi April,
The only case I can think of when you would say 'de moi' is in the following example, meaning 'from me':
Ce cadeau est de moi = This gift is from me.
For possession you could only say,  Le stylo est à moi.
Hope this helps!

Answer

That's a good question, April. Somehow I've managed to get a feel for it which I'll try to put in words.

"De" is used to denote intellectual ownership while "à" implies personal physical ownership. It is often translated as "by" in this context:

"Ce livre de Zola est excellent." -- This book by Zola is excellent.

"De" is also used to describe an object further. In these instances one could translate "de" with "of the":

"La balle des enfants." -- The ball of the children.

"À" really expresses ownership in a more direct sense as "de".

"Ce manteau-ci est à moi." -- This coat belongs to me.

I hope I was able to shed some light on this. -- Chris (not a native speaker).

Answer

Looking at the two sentences from your question:

Le stylo est à moi -- The pen belongs to me.
Le stylo est de moi. -- The pen is by me (i.e., I made it)

The first one sounds very natural to my ears, whereas the second one doesn't.

-- Chris.

Answer

Can't I say- me stylo way mien?