1. Definite and indefinite articles

2. Definite articles
Spanish has only one definite article, but the article has four forms because it must agree in gender and number with the noun it precedes.
El (masculine / singular)
The La (feminine / singular)
Los (masculine / plural)
Las (feminine / plural)

3. The book
El libro
(masc./singular) (masc./singular)
The houses
Las casas
(fem./plural) (fem./plural)
*First look at the gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) of the noun and then choose the correct article.
When nouns have the same gender and number as the articles they are said to be in agreement.

4. Ejercicios Choose the correct article (El, La, Los, Las)
The cat (gato)_____________________
The chair (silla)____________________
The tables (mesa)__________________
The class (clase)___________________
The pencils (lápiz) __________________
The desk (escritorio)________________
The rulers (regla) __________________

5. Definite articles are used:
Before titles such as señor (El señor), señora (La señora), señorita (La señorita).
Professions. La doctora, El ingeniero, El arquitecto, La maestra, El psicólogo.
Some nouns keep the same form for masculine and feminine. In these cases, the gender is identify by the article.
Ex: el estudiante / la estudiante
el artista / la artista

6. With days of the week, when in English “on” is used.
Ejemplo: Yo estudio los lunes. I study on Mondays.
With parts of the body or articles of clothing, especially if the possessor is clearly stated.
Ejemplo: Me duele la cabeza. My head hurts. Me pongo el sombrero. I put on my hat.
With the seasons.
La primavera (spring) El otoño (fall)
El invierno (winter) El verano (summer)

7. Contractions
If the preposition a (to/from) is used with the article “el”, you must use the contraction “al”.
a el (to the) al (to the)
¿Puedo ir al baño por favor?
If the preposition de (of/from) is used with “el”, you must use the contraction “del”.
de el (of the) del (of the)
This doesn’t occur with the other forms of the article. Ex: a + la = ok and de + la = ok

8. Exceptions
Use “el” when the article is in front of a feminine noun that begins with a stressed a or ha. Ejemplo: el agua, el águila, el arpa.
The reason is because when you pronounce the article and the noun, the two a’s will get swallowed into one sound. Ejemplo: la agua.
This doesn’t happen with the plural form.
Las aguas, las águilas, las arpas.

9. Indefinite articles
In English, indefinite articles are used only with singular nouns. They are “a” or “an” if used before a noun that start with a vowel.
In Spanish, indefinite articles can be used with singular and plural nouns.
un (masculine / singular)
a or an una (feminine / singular)
some unos (masculine / plural)
unas (feminine / plural)

10. Ejercicios
Choose the correct indefinitive article (un, una, unos, or unas)
A pencil (lápiz) ____________________
Some pencils______________________
A notebook (cuaderno)______________
Some notebooks___________________
A desk (mesabanco)________________
Some desks_______________________

11. Ejercicios Write the correct definite article
_____ cocina _____silla _____carro
_____cocinas _____sillas _____carros
_____bandera _____doctores_____alumna
Write the correct indefinite article
Standard Deviants. Module 5 Articles. Drive C: Game shows /Nouns (Article games)