The words the, a, an, and some are super common in English, and their Spanish equivalents are super common as well!
Definite Articles
A definite article is basically the word the, or its translations in another language. There are four definite articles in Spanish, and which one you use depends on both the gender and the number of the subject or object you are talking about. By gender, is the word masculine or feminine, por ejemplos, gato or gata (male cat or female cat), mesa (table), libro (book); and whether the subject or object is singular or plural. The masculine singular definite article is el, the masculine plural form is los, the feminine singular definite article is la, and the feminine plural form is las. All of those four words translate to the word ‘the’ in English.
| Masculine | Feminine | |
| Singular | el | la |
| Plural | los | las |
Three words that are exceptions to the general rules are agua, águila, alma, and ave. Those words are used with el when singular and las when plural. Por ejemplo, el ave y las aves (the bird and the birds).
If there is a group of mixed gender, the masculine plural form is used. This rule applies to indefinite articles as well, since a masculine plural noun is used.
Definite articles are used a bit more in Spanish than in English, as you may have noticed with “me gusta” phrases, such as “Me gustan las manzanas.” (I like apples).
Also, la, los, and las are also used as direct object pronouns. Don’t worry about that, typically it is pretty obvious whether whether one of those words is being used as a definite article or not.
Ejemplos
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| El chico juega a tenis. | The boy plays tennis. |
| La gata se baña. | The cat bathes itself. |
| Los perros están durmiendo. | The dogs are sleeping. |
| Las chicas bailan. | The girls dance. |
| Los niños van a la escuela. | The kids go to school. |
Indefinite Articles
Indefinite articles basically translate to a, an, or some.
| Masculine | Feminine | |
| Singular | un | una |
| Plural | unos | unas |
Ejemplos
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Yo ví un elefante. | I saw an elephant. |
| Golpea la pelota. | Hit the ball. |
| Comí uno huevos. | I ate some eggs. |
| Cantamos unas canciones. | We sang some songs. |
Conclusión
Definite articles mean the, and in Spanish they are el, la, los, and las. Indefinite articles mean a, an, or some, and in Spanish they are un, una, unos, and unas.