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what do the four definite articles in spanish mean

by Ms. Tessie Connelly DDS Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Spanish has four definite articles: el, la, los, and las. In Spanish, nouns don't like to be alone, so they are often accompanied by articles! Spanish articles indicate the gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) of a noun, as well as whether or not a noun is a specific noun (definite or indefinite).

A definite article, called an artículo definido in Spanish, makes a noun refer to a particular item or items of its class. In English, the definite article is "the." In Spanish, there are five ways to say "the." The four most common Spanish definite articles are el, la, los and las in Spanish.Aug 4, 2018

Full Answer

What are definite articles in Spanish?

Definite articles are used to talk about specific nouns. Spanish has four definite articles: el , la , los , and las . In Spanish, nouns don't like to be alone, so they are often accompanied by articles!

How many words can be equivalent to the in Spanish?

Five words can be equivalent of 'the'. In English, the definite article is "the.". In Spanish, there are five ways to say "the.". The four most common Spanish definite articles are el, la, los and las in Spanish. A fifth, less frequently used definite article, lo, is sometimes appropriate.

How do you say the word the in Spanish?

In Spanish, there are five ways to say "the." The four most common Spanish definite articles are el, la, los and las in Spanish. A fifth, less frequently used definite article, lo, is sometimes appropriate. Definite articles are also sometimes referred to as definite determiners.

What are the definite article forms?

Definite Article Forms: Number Gender Form singular masculine el singular feminine la plural masculine los plural feminine las

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What are the 4 Spanish articles that mean the?

But there are five definite articles in Spanish: el, la, los, las, and lo.

What are the four definite and indefinite articles in Spanish?

1:435:23Definite & Indefinite Articles in Spanish - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipActually has four different translations in spanish el la los. And las which one you use dependsMoreActually has four different translations in spanish el la los. And las which one you use depends entirely on the form of the noun. It has to match exactly there are no exceptions to that okay.

How do you know which article to use in Spanish?

7 Tips and Tricks for Correct Usage of Definite and Indefinite Articles in SpanishUse Definite Articles When Talking About Likes and Dislikes.Use Definite, Feminine Articles to Tell Time.Use Definite, Masculine Articles When Talking About Days of the Week.More items...•

How do you tell the difference between definite and indefinite articles in Spanish?

What is an article in Spanish? Artículo Definido e Indefinido. An article is a word that is used with a noun (person, animal, thought or thing) to help define it. In English, the definite article is “the” and the indefinite articles are “a/an”, depending on the noun.

What's a definite article in Spanish?

In English, there is only one definite article: the. In Spanish, you have to choose between four definite articles: el, la, los and las.

Which of the following are indefinite articles in Spanish?

There are four forms for the indefinite article in Spanish: un, una, unos, unas. Un is always used for singular, masculine words.

Whats the difference between UN and Una in Spanish?

Un and una are indefinite articles In English, “a” and “an” are known as indefinite articles, and the Spanish equivalents are un (used before a masculine noun) and una (used before a feminine noun). Remember that nouns in Spanish can be classified as masculine and feminine, so you need to use un and una accordingly.

Which word is an indefinite article?

The indefinite article is the word "a" or "an." It is used before a noun to define it as something non-specific (e.g., something generic or something mentioned for the first time).

What is a definite article?

A definite article, called an artículo definido in Spanish, makes a noun refer to a particular item or items of its class. In English, the definite article is "the.". In Spanish, there are five ways to say "the.". The four most common Spanish definite articles are el, la, los and las in Spanish.

What does "al" mean in Spanish?

The words " a" + " el " form the contraction al. For an example, Ella va al auto, means, "She is going to the car." A Spanish speaker would literally say, Ella va "a el" auto. The contraction al works more smoothly in this case.

What is the masculine form of the word "the"?

Masculine Form of 'The'. The masculine form of "the" is el if referring to one item, the singular form of the word. For example, "the cat" is el gato. The masculine and plural form of "the," if referring to more than one item, would be "los libros," meaning, "the books.".

Does Spanish use definite articles?

In general, Spanish often uses a definite article in cases where English does not. For example, the English sentence, "Mr. Brown is rich," does not have the definite article "the." The same sentence translated into Spanish would be, El señor Brown es ​rico. ​ In Spanish, the definite article, el, is used.

Is a definite article a definite determiner?

A fifth, less frequently used definite article, lo, is sometimes appropriate. Definite articles are also sometimes referred to as definite determiners. Spanish and English have different rules as to when a definite article is needed or can be omitted.

Types of Definite Articles

In general, there are two types of articles in Spanish that fall under this category. You have the masculine definite article and the feminine definite article. Both of these Spanish articles can be either singular or plural, giving us a total of four definite articles.

When to use them

The Spanish definite article has slightly different rules than the English one, let’s look at all the different possibilities for how you can use the definite article.

When Not to Use Them

Now that we’ve been over when we should use a definite article in Spanish, let’s look at some examples of cases when we can leave them out.

Articles and Prepositions

Another thing to keep in mind as you learn Spanish is that there’s a tendency to squish things together, both in speech and in written texts. And for articles, this is no different.

Exceptions

There are a few exceptions and some more details we could go into when it comes to Spanish articles, but for today, the most important one is this one:

La conclusión

That’s all there is to know about definite articles for today. It’s a big list, but it’s not as difficult as it might seem. In fact, you’ll get used to them in no time. So why don’t you go ahead and sign up for a free private class or a 7-day free trial of our group classes so you can practice what you learned.

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