Spanish Definite Articles: el, la, los, las
Short answer
Spanish has four words for the, matching gender and number: el, la, los, las. A + el becomes al and de + el becomes del. Feminine nouns starting with a stressed a- take el in the singular: el agua, but las aguas.
Level A1 · articles, nouns
The rule in full
Spanish has four words for the, matching the noun's gender and number.
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | el | los |
| Feminine | la | las |
- el libro — the book
- la mesa — the table
- los libros / las mesas
el + a / de: a + el = al, de + el = del.
- Voy al cine. Vengo del trabajo.
Watch out: feminine nouns starting with a stressed a- take el in the singular: el agua, el aula — but las aguas.
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