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Spanish Grammar in Context

A reference grammar with video examples from the Spanish in Texas collection

  • Credits
  • Index
  • About
  • Home
  • Adjectives
    • Introduction to Adjectives
    • Adjectives – Formation and Placement
    • Comparisons and Superlatives with Adjectives
    • Past Participles as Adjectives
    • Todo
    • Indefinite Adjectives
    • Adjectives Practice
  • Adverbs
    • Introduction to Adverbs
    • Adverbs – Formation and Placement
    • Comparative Adverbs
    • Adverbs Practice
  • Conjunctions
    • Introduction to Conjunctions
    • Coordinating Conjunctions
    • Subordinating Conjunctions
    • Conjunctions Practice
  • Determiners
    • Introduction to Determiners
    • Definite Articles
    • Indefinite Articles
    • Possessive Determiners
    • Demonstrative Determiners
    • Expressions of Quantity
    • Determiners Practice
  • Negation
    • Introduction to Negation
    • Basic Negation: No
    • Alternate Forms of Negation
    • One-word Negative Sentences
    • Negation Practice
  • Nouns
    • Introduction to Nouns
    • Nouns – Number
    • Nouns – Gender
    • Nouns Practice
  • Prepositions
    • Introduction to Prepositions
    • Common Prepositions
    • Por vs. Para
    • Prepositions Practice
  • Pronouns
    • Introduction to Pronouns
    • Subject Pronouns
    • Direct Object Pronouns
    • Indirect Object Pronouns
    • Reflexive Pronouns
    • Order of Object Pronouns
    • Relative Pronouns
    • Indefinite Pronouns
    • Demonstrative Pronouns
    • Possessive Pronouns
    • Pronouns Practice
  • Verbs
    • Introduction to Verbs
    • Tense/Mood
    • Introduction to Present Tense
      • -ar Verbs (Regular) Present Tense
      • -er Verbs (Regular) Present Tense
      • -ir Verbs (Regular) Present Tense
    • Ser “To Be”
    • Haber “To Have”
    • Reflexive Verbs
    • Preterit
    • Present Perfect
    • Imperfect
    • Narration: Preterit vs. Imperfect
    • Pluperfect
    • Future
    • Conditional
    • Past Conditional
    • Imperative Mood (commands)
    • Introduction to Subjunctive
      • Subjunctive – Present
      • Subjunctive – Past or Imperfect
      • Subjunctive – Present Perfect
      • Subjunctive – Pluperfect
      • Tense Sequences
    • Si Clauses (If Clauses)
    • Indirect Speech
      • Indirect Speech – Present
      • Indirect Speech – Past
    • Passive Voice
    • Language Contact
    • Verbs Practice
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    Practice quizzes: determiners

    Definite Articles

    singular plural
    masculine el los
    feminine la las

    Form

    In Spanish, few nouns can stand alone. Most need to be introduced or determined by an article. As in English, an article is characterized as either definite (the) or indefinite (a, an). Spanish articles must match the gender and the number of the noun they determine, resulting in four forms of the definite article, as seen in the table above.

    Contractions del and al 

    The masculine singular definite article el is abbreviated when used with the preposition de of and a to.

    • de + el = del
    • a + el = al
    Me mandaron, mi primer trabajo, al fin del mundo, porque Argentina es un país bastante al sur y cerca de la Antártica.
    They sent me, my first job, to the end of the earth, because Argentina in a country very in the south and close to Antarctica.

    Masculine Article with A-initial Feminine Nouns

    When a feminine singular noun begins with a stressed a- or ha-, the masculine article un or el is used instead the feminine una or la, for ease of pronunciation and to maintain a separation between the two words. When the same noun is plural, the feminine article unas or las is used.  The following feminine nouns use the masculine article when singular.

    • el alma – las almas soul
    • el hacha – las hachas ax
    • el hambre – las hambres hunger
    • el agua – las aguas water
    • el águila – las águilas eagle

    Uses

    Spanish uses the definite article in many places where English does. However, some uses of the definite article in Spanish can be tricky for English speakers because the English equivalent does not use the, but rather just a bare noun (a noun with no determiner). Below are the uses of the definite article in Spanish, including both those similar to and different than English.

    To Identify a Specific Noun

    As in English, the definite article is used to identify a specific noun or to refer to a noun that has already been specified.

    A mi papá le gusta poner la bandera grande mexicana afuera de la casa.
    My dad likes to put the big Mexican flag outside of the house.

    To Express General Truths or Concepts

    Unlike English, Spanish uses the definite article to express general truths or concepts. Compare the following sentences with their English translation:

    Sé que con esa carrera yo puedo, o sea, ayudar a la gente mucho más.
    I know that with that career I can help people much more.

    A mi mamá no le gustaban los Estados Unidos; la vida aquí era muy difícil.
    My mom didn’t like the United States; life here was very difficult.

    To Express Likes and Dislikes

    Unlike English, Spanish uses the definite article with verbs of preference, such as gustar, preferir, encantar, odiar. Compare the following sentence with its English translation:

    Me gustan mucho los animales.
    I like animals a lot.

    Days of the Week

    Unlike English, the definite article is used in Spanish with days of the week, also to indicate habitual recurrence. Compare the following sentence with its English translation:

    Los viernes nos pagaba según las horas que uno trabajaba.
    Fridays he paid us according to the hours one worked.

    No Article

    Cities, continents, countries, states, and regions usually do not require an article in Spanish. For example:

    En México hay diferentes acentos.
    In Mexico, there are different accents.

    Months never require an article: enero, febrero, marzo, etc. Also note that the months are not capitalized in Spanish.

    Me la regalaron en diciembre y en marzo me la robaron, pero esos tres meses la disfruté al máximo.
    They gave it to me in December and it was stolen in March, but in those three months I enjoyed it to the max.

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