A1 Spanish grammar

Spanish Articles: El, La, Un, Una, Los, and Las

Spanish articles come before nouns and agree with them in gender and number. English usually uses the or a, but Spanish chooses among el, la, los, las, un, una, unos, and unas.

Use Spanish articles for “the”

Use el with a masculine singular noun, la with a feminine singular noun, los with masculine plural nouns, and las with feminine plural nouns.

El libro está aquí.
The book is here.Libro is masculine singular, so it uses el.

Quick check

Choose “the book”.

Use indefinite articles for “a” or “some”

Use un and una for one non-specific noun. Use unos and unas for a non-specific plural group or the idea of some.

Necesito una mesa.
I need a table.Mesa is feminine singular and non-specific, so it uses una.

Learn the article with the noun

Endings provide useful clues, but exceptions exist. Learning el problema and la mano as complete chunks prevents avoidable gender mistakes.

Las casas son grandes.
The houses are big.Casas is feminine plural, so it uses las.

Common mistakes

La libro

El libro

Libro is a masculine noun and takes el.

El casas

Las casas

The plural feminine noun casas takes las.

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Spanish articles FAQ

What are the Spanish words for “the”?

They are el, la, los, and las, depending on gender and number.

What is the difference between un and una?

Un is used with masculine singular nouns. Una is used with feminine singular nouns.

Can I determine every noun’s gender from its ending?

No. Endings are useful patterns, but exceptions exist, so learn common nouns together with their articles.

Why should I learn nouns with articles?

The article makes noun gender visible and helps you later choose matching adjectives and pronouns.

Continue learning

Basic negationLearn Spanish negation with no before the verb, plus beginner patterns using nunca, nada, and tampoco.Noun genderLearn Spanish noun gender through common endings, useful exceptions, and the articles that reveal whether a noun is masculine or feminine.Plural nounsLearn how to form Spanish plural nouns with -s and -es, change words ending in z, and match plural articles correctly.Essential Spanish vocabularyStudy common nouns together with useful examples.Practise Spanish nounsLearn vocabulary with articles and spaced review.