Article

1. Artículo definido/ Definite article: rules when to use it.

2. Artículo definido/ Definite article: rules when NOT to use it.

3. Contracciones/ Contractions

4. El artículo neutro/ The neuter article

5. Artículo indefinido/ Indefinite article: rules when to use it.

6. Artículo indefinido/ Indefinite article: rules when NOT to use it.

 

ARTÍCULO DEFINIDO/ Definite Article

In Spanish, there are 4 forms that are equivalent to the English definite article the. They agree in number and gender with the noun they modify.

Gender	Singular	Plural
Masculine	el	los
Feminine	la	las

EXAMPLES:

·         el banco/the bank

·         los bancos/ the banks

·         la casa/ the house

·         las casas/ the houses

 

Rules when to use the definite article:

1.The definite article is used when the noun is determined.

EXAMPLES:

·         Hay una casa en el bosque. La casa es blanca./ There is a house in the forest. The house is white.

 

2. The definite article is used also with nouns that refer to the totality, abstract sense, essence, or general idea.

EXAMPLES:

·         La libertad es esencial./ Liberty is essential.

·         El amor es inmortal./ Love is immortal.

 

3. The definite article is used with the meals of the day and with the time.

EXAMPLES:

·         Yo compro la cena./ I buy the dinner.

·         Son las dos./ It's 2 o'clock.

 

4. It is also used with days of the week.

EXAMPLES:

·         Te llamaré el lunes./I'll call you on Monday.

·         Nos vemos el martes./ We'll see each other on Tuesday.

Exception to the above rule is with the verb ser/ to be; the article is NOT required.

EXAMPLES:

·         Ayer fue sábado./ Yesterday was Saturday.

·         Hoy es jueves./ Today is Thursday.

 

5. The definite article is used with names of body parts and pieces of clothing. In English, possessive adjectives are used instead.

EXAMPLES:

·         Yo saco el brazo./ I take out my arm.

·         Ella se lava la camisa./ She washes her shirt.

 

6. The definite article is used with the following titles that are followed by the name of the person:

Definite article used	Example
señor (Sr.)/ Mr.	El Sr. López es feliz./ Mr. Lopez is happy.
señora (Sra.)/ Mrs.	La Sra. de López saluda./ Mrs. Lopez greets.
señorita (Srta.)/ Miss	La Srta. Pérez come. / Miss Perez eats.
doctor (Dr.)/ Dr. (male)	El Dr. Roberto Lee es muy bueno./ Dr. Robert Lee is very good.
doctora (Dra.)/ Dr.(female)	La Dra. Ana Aguilar es mejor./ Dr. Ana Aguilar is better.

The following titles DO NOT require the definite article:

NO definite article used	Example
don (used with first name)/ Mr.	Me saluda don Juan./ Mr. Juan is greeting me.
doña (used with first name)/ Mrs.	Y doña Marina llora./ And Mrs. Marina cries.
San/ St.	Vamos a ver a San Pablo./ Let's go to see St. Paul.
Santo/ holy or St.	Ellos creen en Santo Domingo./ They believe in Saint Dominic.
Santa/ holy	Santa Madre Iglesia/ Holy Mother Church
fray/ Brother	Fray Luis es un luchador./ Brother Luis is a fighter.

NOTE: That NO articles are used when talking directly to the person.

EXAMPLE:

·         Dr. Pereyra, dígame por favor./ Dr. Pereyra, tell me please.

 

7. The definite article is used with most names of oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, mountains.

EXAMPLES:

·         Los Alpes están lejos./ The Alps are far away.

·         El Atlántico es inmenso./ The Atlantic is immense.

·         El Titicaca está en Bolivia./ The Titicaca is in Bolivia.

 

DO NOT use the definite article in the following situations:

1. The definite article is NOT used with nouns that express an undetermined amount.

EXAMPLES:

·         El gerente tiene dinero./ The manager has money.

·         Necesito pan y queso./ I need bread and cheese.

 

2. The definite article is NOT used with languages if they are followed immediately by the verb hablar and the prepositions de and en.

NO definite article used	Example
hablar/ to speak	Hablan coreano./ They speak Korean.
de/ of	Yo quiero hablar de inglés./ I want to talk about English (language).
en/ in	Ella habla en chino con su padre./ She speaks Chinese with her father.

However, if the languages go after the verbs aprender, estudiar, and escribir, the use of a definite article is optional.

Optional use of definite article	Example
aprender/to learn	Quiero aprender (el) español./ I want to learn Spanish.
estudiar/to study	Estudio (el) español./ I study Spanish.
escribir/ to write	Leo y escribo (el) inglés./ I read and write English.

NOTE: If there is an adverb after a verb, the article is required for the succeeding noun.

EXAMPLE:

·         Hablan fluídamente el coreano./ They speak fluently Korean.

 

3. The definite article is NOT used with roman numbers that denote the numerical order of a pontiff or sovereign.

EXAMPLES:

·         Juan Pablo II/ John Paul the second

·         Victoria III/ Victoria the third

 

NOTE: It is incorrect to add an article before any person's name.

·         Incorrect: la Juana or el Pedro

 

4. Most country names do NOT require an article, however, when the word República/ Republic is omitted, the article is required:

ARTICLE REQUIRED	NO ARTICLE REQUIRED
La Argentina	Nicaragua
El Brasil	Rusia
Los Estados Unidos (US)	España (Spain)
El Canadá	Indonesia
El Ecuador	Australia
El Japón	Inglaterra
La China	Chile
La India	Méjico (México can also be spelt with x)

NOTE: If a geographic name is modified by an adjective, an article is needed.

EXAMPLE:

·         El Chile prehistórico es importante./ The prehistoric Chile is important.

 

THE NEUTER ARTICLE LO

This neuter article is used to express a quality or an abstract idea.

EXAMPLES:

·         Lo importante es que Juan es feliz./ The important thing is that Juan is happy.

·         Lo bueno de vivir en Canadá es.../ The good thing to live in Canada is...

 

NOTE: That Lo + adjective or adverb + que is equivalent to the English expression how.

EXAMPLES:

·         El presidente sabe lo difícil que es la situación económica./ The President knows how difficult the economic situation is.

·         Entiendo lo malo que es fumar./ I understand how bad smoking is.

 

ARTÍCULO INDEFINIDO/ indefinite article

In Spanish, there are 4 forms of indefinite articles that are equivalent to a, an, and some.

Gender	Singular	Plural
Masculine	un	unos
Feminine	una	unas

EXAMPLES:

·         Un hombre/ a man

·         Unos cheques/ some checks

·         Una puerta/ a door

·         Unas ventanas/ some windows

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NOTE: Un is used instead of una, when the nouns are feminine and start with a- or ha- that are stressed in that syllable.

EXAMPLES:

un ala/ a wing	unas alas/ some wings
un hacha/ an axe	unas hachas/ some axes

Rules when to use the indefinite article:

1. The indefinite article is used when the noun is undetermined.

EXAMPLE:

·         Mándeme un reporte./ Send me a report.

 

2. Unas and unos express an undetermined quantity. When they are used with nouns or numbers, they are equivalent to some or about in English.

EXAMPLES:

·         Vendimos unos productos./ We sold some products.

·         Comimos unas veinte manzanas./ We ate about 20 apples.

 

3. The indefinite article is used to indicate a quality that characterizes the modified noun.

In the following sentence, laziness is the main characteristic of this person.

EXAMPLE:

·         Juan es un haragán./ Juan is lazy.

 

DO NOT use the indefinite article in the following situations:

1. The indefinite article is NOT used with the following words:

NO ARTICLE REQUIRED	EXAMPLE
tal/ such	Pedro no dijo tal cosa./ Pedro didn't say such a thing.
otro/another	Quiero cambiarla por otra billetera./ I want to exchange it for another wallet.
cien/ hundred	Deposito cien dólares./ I deposit a hundred dollars.
mil/ thousand	El cheque es por mil pesos./ The check is for a thousand pesos.
qué...!/ what...!	¡Qué niño!/ What a child!

2. The indefinite article is NOT used when stating the profession, nationality, political affiliation,or religion of a person.

However, if the noun is being modified, the indefinite article is used.

QUALITY	NO ARTICLE REQUIRED	ARTICLE REQUIRED
profession	Soy doctor./ I am a doctor.	Soy un doctor especializado./ I am a specialized doctor.
nationality	Ella es francesa./ She is French.	Ella es una francesa típica./ She is a typical French.
political affiliation	Él es peronista./ He is a Peronist.	Él es un verdadero peronista./ He is a true Peronist.
religion	Ella es católica./ She is a catholic.	Ella es una católica dedicada./ She is a dedicated catholic.