Articles
Every Spanish noun is masculine or feminine, and the article agrees. Good news: the ending of the noun usually tells you (-o masc., -a fem.), so the article is mostly predictable.
Definite — the
| masculine | feminine | |
|---|---|---|
| singular | el libro | la casa |
| plural | los libros | las casas |
- Feminine nouns that begin with a stressed a-/ha- take el in the singular for sound's sake, but stay feminine: el agua fría, el hambre, las aguas.
- lo is a neuter article for abstractions: lo importante = "the important thing", lo bueno = "what's good".
Indefinite — a / some
| masculine | feminine | |
|---|---|---|
| singular | un libro | una casa |
| plural | unos libros | unas casas |
unos / unas = "some, a few": unos amigos. Often simply dropped: Tengo amigos.
Contractions — only two
| a + el | al — Voy al cine. |
| de + el | del — el coche del vecino |
a la, de la, a los, de los never contract.
Spanish uses the article where English doesn't
- Generalities: Me gusta el café. (I like coffee.)
- Days of the week: el lunes = on Monday, los lunes = on Mondays.
- Telling time: Son las tres.
- Body parts & clothes: Me lavo las manos. Ponte el abrigo.
- Titles when talking about someone: El señor García no está. (but Buenos días, señor García).
And drops it where English keeps it
- Professions after ser: Soy Ø médico. (I am a doctor.)
- otro, cien, mil, medio: otro café (another coffee), cien personas.
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