Spanish Articles
Like English, Spanish has two types of articles, definiite (the) and indefinite (a). However, unlike English, Spanish articles also have gender and plurality. Thus whereas in English the article in the girl and the cats are the same, in Spanish it would be la niña and los gatos.
| Definite | Indefinite | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| singular | plural | singular | plural | |
| Male | el | los | un | unos |
| Female | la | las | una | unas |
| English | the | a | some | |
Contractions - At times the masculine singular definite, el, is combined
with the prepositions a and de to make al (to the) and del (of the).
Examples - Voy al mercado. I'm going to the market.
El color del vino es rojo. The color of the wine is red.
Un - A (masculine-singular)
Un
caballo
regalado
no se le
miran
en los
dientes.
Don't look a gift horse in the teeth.
Una - A (feminine-singular)
Acabo
de
comer
una
hamburguesa
con
papas fritas.
I just ate a hamburger and french fries.
Unos - Some (masculine)
Tengo
que
desayunar
con unos
socios
el
jueves.
I have to have breakfast with some associates Thursday.
El - The (masculine-singular)
Cuando
terminas
de
comer
debes
poner
el
cuchillo
junto al
tenedor.
When you finish eating, you should put your knife and fork together.
La - The (feminine-singular)
La
inundación
ha provocado
muchos
daños.
The flood had caused a lot of damage.
Los - The (masculine-plural)
No
hay
una
mujer
a la que no le
gusten
los
zapatos.
There's not a woman who doesn't like shoes.
Al - To The (contraction)
Cuando
terminas
de
comer
debes
poner
el
cuchillo
junto al
tenedor.
When you finish eating, you should put your knife and fork together.
Del - Of The (contraction)
El
sabor
del
vino
depende
de la
calidad
de la
uva.
The flavor of wine depends on the quality of the grapes.
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