In Spanish there are some words that contract when they go together, for example: al and del
Learn about Al in Spanish
In Spanish, to express to the / in the + masculine singular noun (a + el), you use the contraction al.
Look at these examples:
Learn about Del in Spanish
The same happens with the preposition de + el (from the / of the) which becomes del.
Look at these examples:
Granada es una ciudad del sur de España.Granada is a city in the south of Spain. (Lit: from/of the south)
Note that in the example about the city of Granada we are using "del" because we mean "Granada is a city of the south of Spain", (that "belongs" to the south of Spain) but this wouldn't be correct in English.
You never use these contractions when the article el is part of a proper noun (place, work of art, book, etc.)
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