Dequeísmo

Dequeísmo is a phenomenon in Spanish grammar, considered "wrong" in prescriptive works. It is the practice of using de que instead of que as the complementizer introducing a verbal complement clause. It can be seen as the opposite of queísmo, which involves using que when de que is to be used.

Spanish language
A manuscript of the Cantar de mio Cid, 13th century
Overview
Pronunciation stress Orthography Names
History
Old Middle Influences
Grammar
Determiners Nouns gender Pronouns personal object Adjectives Prepositions Verbs conjugation irregular verbs
Dialects
Andalusian Andean Argentine Belizean Bolivian Canarian Caribbean Central American Chilean Colombian Costa Rican Cuban Dominican Ecuadorian Equatoguinean Guatemalan Honduran Mexican Murcian New Mexican Nicaraguan Paraguay Panamanian Peninsular Peruvian Philippine status Puerto Rican Rioplatense Saharan Salvadoran Standard Uruguayan Venezuelan
Dialectology
seseo yeísmo voseo leísmo loísmo
Interlanguages
Llanito Jopara Judaeo-Spanish Portuñol Spanglish Castrapo Creoles Roquetas Pidgin Chavacano or Chabacano Palenquero or Palenque
Teaching
Hispanism RAE Instituto Cervantes

For example, Me dijo de que estaba cansado ("He told me that he was tired"), is a case of dequeísmo since the prescriptive construction is Me dijo que estaba cansado. Dequeísmo is considered peculiar to less educated speakers, most likely as an instance of hypercorrection in the attempt to avoid queísmo or perhaps a conflation with the reflexive use, which can sometimes be quite superficially similar:[1]

Me alegro de que seáis felices. (Grammatically normal, with a reflexive verb: "I am pleased...")

Me alegra de que seáis felices. (Prescriptively incorrect, non-reflexive dequeísmo, usually Me alegra que seáis felices. "It pleases me...")