Scribd
Upload
283 views7 pages

Articles in Spanish Grammar

The document provides an overview of the use of articles in Spanish grammar. It begins with an introduction to definite and indefinite articles and their gender and number. It then discusses the different types of articles in more depth: indefinite articles and their uses, definite articles and the cases when they are used, the neutral article "lo", and situations where no article is used. It also covers the combination of the prepositions "a" and "de" with the definite article "el" to form "al" and "del". In summary, the document is a reference for the appropriate uses of articles in Spanish based on grammatical rules and examples.

Uploaded by

Jenny Key
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
283 views7 pages

Articles in Spanish Grammar

The document provides an overview of the use of articles in Spanish grammar. It begins with an introduction to definite and indefinite articles and their gender and number. It then discusses the different types of articles in more depth: indefinite articles and their uses, definite articles and the cases when they are used, the neutral article "lo", and situations where no article is used. It also covers the combination of the prepositions "a" and "de" with the definite article "el" to form "al" and "del". In summary, the document is a reference for the appropriate uses of articles in Spanish based on grammatical rules and examples.

Uploaded by

Jenny Key
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 7

Articles in Spanish Grammar

 Table of definite and indefinite articles in Spanish


 Indefinite Articles
 Definite Articles
 No Article
 Articles and Prepositions “al/del”
  Online exercises to improve your Spanish

Introduction
Articles accompany nouns and indicate gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or
plural). In Spanish grammar, there are indefinite articles (un, una, unos, unas) and definite
articles (el/los, la/las, lo).

Learn the difference between Spanish articles and when to use them correctly with Lingolia’s
grammar rules. In the exercises, you can practise using definite and indefinite articles.

Example

María es una amiga de Laura y la novia de Carlos.

María ha comprado un helado. El helado está rico.

Table of definite and indefinite articles in Spanish


Definite Article Indefinite Article
Singula masculine el el tren un un tren
r
feminine la la estación una una estación
el* águila un* águila
neutral lo lo bonito -
uno
masculine los los trenes unos trenes
s
Plural
las unas
feminine las unas
estaciones estaciones

Feminine nouns that start with a stressed a/ha, take the definite article el. This is done for ease of
pronunciation. The noun and its complements remain feminine. In the plural, the feminine
article las is used.

Example:
El águila ibérica es un animal en peligro de extinción.
Las águilas son aves depredadoras.
En esta zona se pueden avistar muchas águilas.

Indefinite Articles
The masculine indefinite articles are un (singular) unos (plural). The feminine indefinite articles
are una (singular) and unas (plural). We use the indefinite articles, similarly to the English
indefinite articles a/an,  in the following situations:

 to mention something that is not specifically defined

Example:
María es una amiga de Laura.

one of several friends

 to mention an approximate quantity in plural

Example:
Estamos a unos 15 kilómetros de la costa.
 to describe specific characteristics of a person using a noun or adjective

Example:
Este niño es un ángel.
Su hermano es un travieso.
 with the impersonal form of the verb haber: hay.

Ejemplo:
En el museo hay una exposición de las pinturas negras de Goya.
Junto a la chimenea había una mecedora.

Definite Articles
The masculine definite articles are el (singular) and los (plural). The feminine definite articles
are la  (singular) and las (plural). Sometimes the usage of the definite article in Spanish grammar
is the same as the usage of the in English, but not always! The following list outlines when to use
the definite article in Spanish.

We use el/los/la/las in the following cases:

 with a noun the refers to a specific person or thing

Example:
El último disco del artista es buenísimo.
 with nouns that refer to something general

Example:
La fruta es la base de una dieta sana.
 with the days of the week

Example:
El viernes no trabajo.
but:
Hoy es miércoles. 
(no article after the verb ser)
 with instruments, games and sports after the verbs jugar and tocar

Example:
Toco el violín.
Juego a las cartas con mi abuelo.
En este parque juegan los niños al fútbol.
 with a reflexive verb to talk about parts of the body, instead of a possessive determiner
Example:
Me duele la espalda desde ayer.
 to say the time

Example:
Son las dos y media.
 in titles

Example:
La Doctora Fernández ha ganado el premio Nobel de Medicina.
 to refer to a family using their last name in plural

Example:
Los Pérez se han mudado.
 with the names of mountains, rivers, lakes, seas and oceans

Example:
El Teide es el pico más alto de España.
 with infinitives that function as nouns

Example:
El leer alimenta el alma.
 with percentages

Example:
Ha aprobado el 95% de los alumnos.

The neutral article “lo”

The definite article lo only exists in the singular and is never used before a noun (because there
are no neutral nouns in Spanish). The article lo is used in the following cases:

 before adjectives, participles, and ordinal numbers that are not followed by a noun.

Example:
interesante → lo interesante
pasado → lo pasado
primero → lo primero
 as an alternative to exclamations with qué + adjective/adverb

Example:
¡Qué rica está la tarta de manzana! → ¡Lo rica que está la tarta de manzana!
¡Qué rápido iba ese coche! → ¡Lo rápido que iba ese coche!

No Article
We generally don’t use an article in Spanish:

 with the verb ser + profession


Example:
Marta es ingeniera de caminos.
but:
Marta es una ingeniera excelente.
use an article when the profession is described by a noun
 with the verb ser + nationality or religious faith
Example:
Soy española.
No soy católica.
 with unspecified quantities
Example:
¿Lleva huevo la ensalada?
En esa tienda venden televisores.
 before names for individual people, organisations and places (cities, countries, regions),
except when the definite article is part of the name i.e. the United Kingdom
Example:
Lorena trabaja en Oxfam en Grecia.
but not: La Loren trabaja en la Oxfam en la Grecia.
But:
Fátima vive en los Estados Árabes Unidos.
 with ordinal numbers in titles
Example:
Alfonso X era conocido como Alfonso X «el Sabio».
 with languages or school subjects, except when the form the subject of the sentence
Example:
Hablo japonés y ruso.
But:
El chino es un idioma precioso.
 before the names of months

Example:
Febrero tiene 28 días.
 for seasons or means of transportation when used with the preposition en

Example:
en verano
ir en coche
 before otro, medio

Example:
Quiero otro café.
Nos encontramos a medio día.
 after llevar, tener

Example:
llevar gafas
tener coche

Articles and Prepositions “al/del”


The prepositions a/de and the masculine article el are usually combined into one word.

Example:
a + el = al
Vamos al supermercado.
de + el = del
Es el libro del profesor.
However, a preposition cannot combine with the indefinite article.

Example:
Vamos a un espectáculo de flamenco.

You might also like