Herramientas de la lengua
Articles - Uses and Exceptions
Why do you want to know this?
In Spanish, articles work the same as in English when it comes to having them determine if the noun is specific or not (the dog vs. a dog), however, there are some differences with English regarding when to use them. You want to know this so you are aware of the differences and speak and write correctly!
1. ¿What is an article?
Articles are the little words we put before nouns to indicate whether that noun is specific (definite) or unspecific (indefinite). Compare, for example, the following sentences:
I hear the bell vs. I hear a bell – Escucho la campana vs. Escucho una campana
2. Definite articles with abstract concepts, titles and generalities
- Abstract concepts like “love” “peace” “humility” “kindness” take a definite article, unlike English where there is none!
- Love is everything / El amor es todo
- Peace is possible / La paz es posible
- Titles like Dr. Mr. Mrs take a definite article unless we are talking to the person directly.
- Mr. Ortiz is so nice / El Sr. Ortiz es tan simpático
- Dr. Ribadeneira is happy / La Dra. Ribadeneira está feliz
- BUT… Dr. Ribadeneira, I need help / Dra. Ribadeneira, necesito ayuda
- When referring to people, objects and animals in general, we use articles, unlike English where we don’t use them!
- Dogs are the best / Los perros son lo mejor
- Hispanics contribute to society / Los hispanos contribuyen a la sociedad
¡Practiquemos!
¡Hola! A continuación tienes un ejercicio para un total de 3 puntos Debes lograr todos ¡Suerte!
3. Definite articles with areas of study, body parts and personal objects
- When talking about areas of study and languages we use definite articles UNLESS they follow the verbs “hablar” or “estudiar”
- Spanish is beautiful / El español es hermoso
- I speak Spanish / Yo hablo español
- I like Spanish / Me gusta el español
- I study Spanish / Estudio español
- Sociology studies society / La sociología estudia la sociedad
- When talking about parts of the body or personal objects with reflexive verbs, we use the definite article, unlike English!
- She cut her hair / Ella se cortó el pelo
- I wash my hands / Yo me lavo las manos
- He puts on his shoes / Él se pone los zapatos
¡Practiquemos!
¡Hola! A continuación tienes un ejercicio para un total de 6 puntos Debes lograr al menos 5 ¡Suerte!
4. Definite articles with days of the week and expressions of time
- When referring to days of the week we use definite articles unless they are followed by expressions such as “hoy es..” “ayer fue…”
- Mondays I go to class / Los lunes voy a clase
- I love Friday! / ¡Amo el viernes!
- Tomorrow is Wednesday / Mañana es miércoles
- When using expressions of time we use the definite article, unlike English!
- Next year I will travel to Perú / El próximo año viajaremos a Perú
- I went to the gym last week / Fui al gimnasio la semana pasada
¡Practiquemos!
¡Hola! A continuación tienes un ejercicio para un total de 3 puntos Debes lograr todos ¡Suerte!
5. Using the definite article “el” with feminine nouns
- When a noun starts with the letter <a> and the emphasis is on that first syllable, the article switches from “la” to “el”, but if the emphasis in anywhere else, it stays as ‘la”
- El agua fría, el alma pura, el arma fea
- La amiga buena, la artista guapa, la alameda amplia
¡Practiquemos!
¡Hola! A continuación tienes un ejercicio para un total de 4 puntos Debes lograr todos. ¡Suerte!
6. Using the indefinite article with professions
- When using nouns that refer to professions we don’t use the indefinite article like we do in English, UNLESS an adjective follows that noun.
- My mom is a teacher / Mi mamá es profesora
- My mom is a great teacher / Mi mamá es una profesora magnífica
- Juan wants to be a painter / Juan quiere ser pintor
- Juan wants to be a famous painter / Juan quiere ser un pintor famoso
¡Practiquemos!
¡Hola! A continuación tienes un ejercicio para un total de 4 puntos Debes lograr todos. ¡Suerte!
This unit “Articles: Uses and Exceptions” was created by Alegría Ribadeneira by combining original material and portions from sections about nouns in Spanish Grammar Manual by Enrique Yépez licensed CC BY-NC-SA and Spanish Grammar in Context by Jacqueline Larsen Serigos and Adriano Trovato, licensed CC BY-NC-SA
