Difference between él and el in Spanish (he or the)

There are words in Spanish that change their meaning depending on whether they do or do not have a written accent.

Let's look at "él" vs "el".

The Spanish "él"

  • Él is a subject personal pronoun.
  • It has a written accent on the letter é.
  • The direct English translation is he.

For example:

Él tiene muchos amigos.He has lots of friends.

The Spanish "el"

  • El is written without an accent on the letter e.
  • It is a definite article.
  • The direct English translation is the, used with singular masculine nouns.

For example:

El coche es azul.The car is blue.

 Here are some more examples:

Mi novio es italiano y él es muy guapo.My boyfriend is Italian and he is very handsome.

Él está haciendo el asado.He is doing the roast.

Ella es muy simpática pero él es muy antipático.She is very nice but he is very rude.

El color azul es mi favorito.The color blue is my favorite [color].

El gato quiere su comida.The cat wants his food.

  • Él = he
  • El = the

See also:

 

 

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Examples and resources

Él está haciendo el asado.He is doing the roast.
Ella es muy simpática pero él es muy antipático.She is very nice but he is very rude.
El gato quiere su comida.The cat wants his food.
El color azul es mi favorito.The color blue is my favorite [color].
Él tiene muchos amigos.He has lots of friends.
El coche es azul.The car is blue.
Mi novio es italiano y él es muy guapo.My boyfriend is Italian and he is very handsome.
I'll be right with you...