Definite Article  



Gramática - Rápida
Articles are words like "the", "a", or "an". They are used with nouns.
They indicate if the noun is classified as either feminine or masculine.

The Definite Article is

el - before a masculine noun singular
la - before a feminine noun singular

los - before a masculine noun plural
las - before a feminine noun plural

Examples:

masculine noun singular: el perro - the dog (male)
feminine noun singular: la perra - the dog (female)

masculine noun plural: los perros - the dogs (male)
feminine noun plural: las perras - the dogs (female)

Gramática - Más Profunda

“La perra es blanca” (The “female dog” is white)

In this case, “perra” is a feminine singular noun,
so the article must also be feminine.

And now, an example with a masculine noun:

“El perro es negro” (The dog is black)

Here, “perro” is a masculine singular noun,
so the definitive article will be “el”.

Now let's consider plural forms:

“Las perras son blancas” (The “female dogs” are white)

You may have noticed, there is another word that has also changed:
(“blanca” --> “blancas)

Spanish adjectives must correspond in gender and number with the noun that is modified.
So, if we now change the masculine sentence into its plural form:

“Los perros son negros” (The dogs are black)

Both, the article and the adjective must also take the gender
and number of the noun they’re with.

masculine noun singular: “El perro es negro”(The dog is black)
feminine noun singular: “La perra es blanca” (The “female dog” is white)

masculine noun plural: Los perros son negros”(The dogs are black)
feminine noun plural: “Las perras son blancas”(The “female dogs” are white)

Example Sentences with el

El tomate es rojo. - The tomato is red.
El repollo es grande. - The cabbage is big.
El pan es delicioso. - The bread is delicious.
El arroz es blanco. - The rice is white.
El pollo es tierno. - The chicken is tender.
El borrador es verde. - The eraser is green.
El baloncesto es bueno. - Basketball is good.
El béisbol es interesante. - Baseball is interesting.
El otoño es bello. - Fall is beautiful.
El gato es gordo, blanco y negro. - The cat is fat, black and white.
El niño tiene sólo dos libros. - The boy has only two books.
El niño tiene veinte lápices. - The boy has twenty pencils.
El niño tiene diez centavos. - The child has ten cents.
El niño tiene nueve juguetes. - The young boy has nine toys.

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Example Sentences with la
La lechuga es verde. - The lettuce is green.
La calabaza es grande. - The pumpkin is big.
La ensalada es deliciosa. - The salad is delicious.
La hamburguesa es grande. - The hamburger is big.
La química es interesante. - Chemistry is interesting.
La historia es interesante. - History is interesting.
La calculadora es negra. - The calculator is black.
La pluma es azul. - The pen is blue.
La niña tiene sólo tres plumas. - The girl has only three pens.
La señora tiene seis gatos. - The lady has six cats.
La escuela tiene veinte estudiantes. - The school has 20 students.
La pelota cuesta dos dólares. - The ball costs $2.00.
La medicina es buena. - The medicine is good.
Yo lavé la ropa. - I washed (lavar) the clothing (la ropa).
¿Tú lavaste la ropa? - Did you wash the clothing?

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Example Sentences with los
Los siete repollos son verdes. - The 7 cabbages are green.
Los diez borradores son blancos. The 10 erasers are white.
Los doce tomates son rojos. - The 12 tomatoes are red.
Los cinco cuadernos son negros. The 5 notebooks are black.
Los dos lápices son amarillos. - The 2 pencils are yellow.
Los veinte bocadillos son grandes. The 20 sandwiches are big.
Los papeles son blancos. - The papers are white.
Los ojos son azules. - The eyes are blue.
Los edificios son nuevos. - The buildings are new.
¿Dónde están los niños? - Where are the children?
Los dos niños juegan con tres pelotas. - The two boys play with three balls.
Los niños tienen frío. - The children are cold.
Los huevos cuestan un dólar la docena. - Eggs cost $1 a dozen.
Yo trabajo con los caballos. - I work with horses.
Los muchachos conocen a Juan. - The boys know John.
Los muchachos están enfermos. - The boys are sick.
Yo como pizza todos los días. - I eat pizza everyday.

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Example Sentences with las

Las zanahorias son anaranjadas. - The carrots are orange.
Las nueve calculadoras son azules. - The nine calculators are blue.
Las plumas son negras. - The pens are black.
Las hamburguesas son deliciosas. The hamburgers are delicious.
Las quince papas son grandes. - The 15 potatoes are big.
Las cuatro cebollas son amarillas. - The 4 onions are yellow.
Las calabazas son deliciosas. - The pumpkins are delicious.
Las matemáticas son interesantes. - Mathematics are interesting.
Las ciencias son interesantes. - Sciences are interesting.
Las chicas están contentas. - The girls are happy.
Las flores bonitas. - The pretty flowers.
El profesor explicó las palabras. - The teacher explained the words.
Las naranjas cuestan tres Euros el kilo. - The oranges cost three Euros per kilo.

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Notes for the Tutor

  • The student should learn the articles el, la, los, las.
  • The student should learn to construct simple sentences with these articles.
  • Also, the student should begin to realize that common pronouns should agree in gender and number.
  • Tutor and student should follow the pattern of the sentences presented here so that the student begins to form his or her own sentences utlilizing the definite articles and continues reviewing the vocabulary




Popular Phrase: los ochenta   | Rosetta Stone Spanish