Use of definite articles: el & la and los & las 16 July 2023
Dear Kwiziq Lesson Writing Team:
I am uncertain as to when I must (or should) use the definite articles "el/la" or "los/las" when translating from English to Spanish. See following examples from the "Fire Heroes/Héroes del fuego" exercise:
Example 1:
"...protect buildings and save lives in danger"
I wrote: "...proteger los edificios y salvar las vidas en peligro."
The Kwiziq answer was: "...proteger edificios y salvar vidas en peligro."
Example 2:
"These professionals protect forests and natural areas..."
I wrote: "Estos profesionales protegen los bosques y las áreas naturales..."
The Kwiziq answer was: "Estos profesionales protegen los bosques y las áreas naturales..."
As you can see, in neither of the English translations is a definite article included.
In Example 1, my use of "los" was accepted, but my use of "las" was not. Upon studying the final Kwiziq translation, I noticed that neither "los" nor "las" had been used in the translation of that phrase. Then in Example 2, I used "los" and "las". To my delight (and surprise) I saw that in the Kwiziq translation "los" and "las" were used as well.
So --- I am confused and uncertain as to WHEN (under what specific circumstances?) is it necessary, appropriate, or customary to use el/la and los/las. I know they must be used at the start of a sentence and (I believe) after some uses of gustar, but what about other circumstances?
Please upload lessons that offer specific examples (and explanations) about when to use these definite articles.
Your attention to this request would be very greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Pati Ecuamiga
Also, would "va a darte" also be correct?
?Son iguales, no?:
Hace anos iba a esa clase
Hace anos solia ir a esa clase.
Voy para la casa de mi amigo. Is the use of para in this case particular to Spain? IN Mexico and New Mexico(where I live) I'm pretty sure the sentence would use the prepossition "a" as in Voy a la piscina.
Is there a list anywhere of which adjectives take which prepositions? I’m C1 level and still make mistakes at times! Would be great to have a comprehensive list!
I wish there were a lesson explaining how the use of articles in Spanish differs from English. For example, "he has a good heart" is "tiene buen corazon" not "un buen corazon". Another example, "I will be in the first row" is "estare en primera fila" and not "en la primera fila".
I'm having trouble consistently distinguishing between using 'a' or 'en' when talking about being somewhere.
For instance, in the dialog, "... Alberto estará en la reunión...",
Would we say "estará en la reunión" to mean someone will be 'in' the meeting, while "estará a la reunión" has a connotation indicating a location 'at' the meeting?
Or is it always customary to use 'en' in cases like this?
I found this confusing.
"Hemos pedido" translates into English as "asked," which is a past tense. So I wanted to use pusiera. But the answer requires present subjunctive (ponga).
Is it always true that when the main verb is in the present perfect, the subsequent clause will use the present subjunctive? So in Spanish we should treat present perfect as a present tense, whereas in English it is a past tense?
16 July 2023
Dear Kwiziq Lesson Writing Team:
I am uncertain as to when I must (or should) use the definite articles "el/la" or "los/las" when translating from English to Spanish. See following examples from the "Fire Heroes/Héroes del fuego" exercise:
Example 1:
"...protect buildings and save lives in danger"
I wrote: "...proteger los edificios y salvar las vidas en peligro."
The Kwiziq answer was: "...proteger edificios y salvar vidas en peligro."
Example 2:
"These professionals protect forests and natural areas..."
I wrote: "Estos profesionales protegen los bosques y las áreas naturales..."
The Kwiziq answer was: "Estos profesionales protegen los bosques y las áreas naturales..."
As you can see, in neither of the English translations is a definite article included.
In Example 1, my use of "los" was accepted, but my use of "las" was not. Upon studying the final Kwiziq translation, I noticed that neither "los" nor "las" had been used in the translation of that phrase. Then in Example 2, I used "los" and "las". To my delight (and surprise) I saw that in the Kwiziq translation "los" and "las" were used as well.
So --- I am confused and uncertain as to WHEN (under what specific circumstances?) is it necessary, appropriate, or customary to use el/la and los/las. I know they must be used at the start of a sentence and (I believe) after some uses of gustar, but what about other circumstances?
Please upload lessons that offer specific examples (and explanations) about when to use these definite articles.
Your attention to this request would be very greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Pati Ecuamiga
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