The Spanish Definite Articles
El, La, Los, Las

Explanation

    The definite article "The" has four forms in Spanish: El, la, los, las. They are used according to the gender and number of the noun. Gender means masculine or feminine and number means singular or plural (or in easy terms, one or more than one).

Examples

Masculine-Singular

  • el libro (the book)
  • el gato (the cat)
  • el bolígrafo (the pen)
  • el escritorio (the desk)
  • el cuaderno (the notebook)

Feminine-Singular

  • la carpeta (the folder)
  • la escuela (the school)
  • la mesa (the table)
  • la pizarra (the board)
  • la lámpara (the lamp)

Masculine-Plural

  • los libros (the books)
  • los gatos (the cats)
  • los bolígrafos (the pens)
  • los escritorios (the desks)
  • los cuadernos (the notebooks)

Feminine-Plural

  • las carpetas (the folders)
  • las escuelas (the schools)
  • las mesas (the tables)
  • las pizarras (the boards)
  • las lámparas (the lamps)

Some Irregular Cases

  • la mano (the hand)
  • la foto (the photo)
  • la moto (the motorcycle)
  • el agua (the water)
  • el deportista (the male athlete)/la deportista (the female athlete)
  • el tenista (the male tennis player)/la tenista (the female tennis player)

Audio

Listen to this audio clip to check your answers. Repeat after me to practice your pronunciation.

Grammar Practice