Articles
Definition of Articles
- Articles in Spanish are similar to English words ‘the’, ‘a’, ‘an’, or ‘some’.
- These words are used to indicate whether the noun they precede is specific or non-specific.
Definite Articles
- Definite articles are used to refer to a specific noun.
- In Spanish, definite articles are: el (masculine singular), la (feminine singular), los (masculine plural), las (feminine plural).
- They correspond to the English definite article ‘the’. For example: el gato (the cat).
Indefinite Articles
- Indefinite articles are used to refer to a non-specific noun.
- In Spanish, indefinite articles are: un (masculine singular), una (feminine singular), unos (masculine plural), unas (feminine plural).
- These correspond to the English indefinite articles ‘a’ or ‘an’, and sometimes ‘some’. For example: un gato (a cat).
Using Articles with Nouns
- An article must agree in gender and number with the noun it precedes.
- The gender and number used must reflect the noun, not the speaker or the person being spoken to.
Exceptions and Irregularities
- With profession, the indefinite article is usually omitted. For example, you would say soy profesor (I am a teacher) rather than soy un profesor.
- With abstract nouns and materials, the definite article is used, unlike in English. For example, you would say la vida es bella (life is beautiful), using ‘la’ before the abstract noun ‘vida’.
- However, not every noun follows the ‘o’ for masculine and ‘a’ for feminine rule. Some exceptions include la foto (the photo, feminine), el mapa (the map, masculine), el día (the day, masculine), and others. Always check if unsure.