A1
el, la, los, las, un, una
The Spanish definite and indefinite articles, the two contractions, and where Spanish needs an article that English drops.
| masculine | feminine | |
|---|---|---|
| the (singular) | el | la |
| the (plural) | los | las |
| a (singular) | un | una |
| some (plural) | unos | unas |
un libro / el libro
a book / the book
a book / the book
una mesa / la mesa
a table / the table
a table / the table
Two contractions, and only two
A + el becomes al, and de + el becomes del. Nothing else merges.
Voy al mercado.
I-go to-the market
I’m going to the market.
la puerta del coche
the door of-the car
the car door
Voy a el mercado.
Voy al mercado.
A el is always al. But a la does not contract — voy a la playa — and neither do the plurals.
Spanish uses the article for generalities
Talking about something as a category takes el, la, los or las, where English uses nothing at all.
Me gusta el café.
to-me pleases the coffee
I like coffee.
Los gatos son independientes.
the cats are independent
Cats are independent.
And drops it where English keeps it
After ser, a profession takes no article.
Es médica.
she-is doctor (f.)
She’s a doctor.
Es una médica.
Es médica.
A bare profession after ser takes no article. Una returns as soon as an adjective is added — es una buena médica.
unos and unas mean some, and are often dropped
Tengo unos amigos en Madrid and tengo amigos en Madrid are both correct. Unlike French des, the plural indefinite is genuinely optional.