THE DEFINITE ARTICLE

THE DEFINITE ARTICLE

WHAT IS THE DEFINITE ARTICLE ?
The definite article is simply “the” in English. There are four forms in Spanish. The male and female forms exist in both the singular and plural. El (ms), la (fs), los (mp) and las (fp). The definite article must agree with the noun in both gender and number.

Examples
La casa / las casas – the house / the houses

El apartamento / los apartamentos – the apartment / the apartments.

Combining the definite article with “de” (of)
The definite article is often combined with “de” (of).

De la, de las, de los however you should note that the male singular form will change or contract.

DE + EL = DEL

Combining the definite article with “a” (to)
The definite article is often combined with “a” (to).

A la, a las, a los however you should note that the male singular form will change or contract.

A + EL = AL

Try the exercise below to check your understanding.