Using el or la to say "the" in Spanish (singular definite articles)

The article "the" in Spanish

Look at these examples:

La casa es pequeña.The house is small.

El gato es negro.The cat is black.

El coche es rojo.The car is red.

La mariposa es bonita.The butterfly is beautiful.

Note that to express the + singular noun in Spanish, you use either el or la, depending on the gender of the noun it refers to:

- la for feminine singular nouns
- el for masculine singular nouns

 

Remember that in Spanish, like in all Latin languages, every noun is either masculine or feminine.


See also Using los or las to say "the" in Spanish (plural definite articles)
and Using un, una to say a/an in Spanish (singular indefinite articles).

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Examples and resources

El gato es negro.The cat is black.
La casa es pequeña.The house is small.
El coche es rojo.The car is red.
La mariposa es bonita.The butterfly is beautiful.
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