Kilo Lingo
Spanish grammar Part of Chapter 1

CEFR A1-A2

4 min read

Test yourself (32 questions)

Spanish Articles: el, la, un, una and When to Use Them

By Michael McGettrick and Sergio Linares-HernandesUpdated 11 October 2026

Spanish has eight articles: four for the and four for a or some. The noun's gender and number choose between them, so (the book) but (the house). The rest of this page is about when to use one, because Spanish keeps the article in places English drops it.

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Choose the correct definite article (el, la, los or las) for each noun.

  1. tiempo

  2. casa

  3. libros

The eight articles

Pick the row by meaning (the or a), then the column by the noun.

masculinefemininethe plural endingWhat do the colours mean?
SingularPlural
the (masc.)
the (fem.)
a (masc.)
a (fem.)

Same colour, same gender, all page long: blue is masculine, rose is feminine.

Definite vs indefinite

The split is the English one. The definite articles mean the, a thing you both know. The indefinite ones mean a or some: one of many, or something new.

SpanishEnglishWhy
the carthe one we both know
a carany car, or a new one
the booksthose particular books
some booksEnglish often drops some

English has no plural of a, so and often vanish in translation:

  • . - I bought (some) shoes.
  • . - I' got some books for you.

Gender agreement

Every Spanish noun is masculine or feminine, and the article matches it. The ending is a strong clue:

EndingUsuallyExampleEnglish
-omasculine the book
-afeminine the house
-ción, -dadfeminine the song
  • the book the book
  • the house the house
  • the song the song

The best-known exceptions:

  • - the hand (feminine, despite the -o)
  • - the day (masculine, despite the -a)

The noun gender page has the full set of endings and exceptions.

Number agreement

The article goes plural with the noun. Add -s after a vowel and -es after a consonant (noun plurals has the details).

SingularPluralEnglish
the book(s)
the table(s)
the hospital(s)
the song(s)
On a table, a single smiling apple sits on a plate on the left, and three smiling apples share a plate on the right.

One apple takes la, several take las: the article and the noun go plural together.

The two contractions: al and del

When the article follows (to) or (of, from), the two words fuse. This is compulsory.

a + el becomes al
de + el becomes del
  • . - I'm going to the cinema.
  • - the teacher's car

Only contracts. Feminine and plural articles stay apart:

  • . - I'm going to the house.
  • - the teachers' car

The accented pronoun (he, him) never contracts, and nor does in a name:

  • - his car
  • Salvador. - I'm going to Salvador.

When Spanish uses an article and English doesn't

This is where English speakers slip. Spanish keeps the definite article in all of these:

UseSpanishEnglish
Things in general .I like dogs.
Abstract nouns .Life is like that.
Days .I'll see you on Monday.
Every Monday .I work on Mondays.
A language as topic .Spanish is easy.
Body parts .My head hurts.
Clock times .It's two o'clock.
Titles (about) García .Mr García isn't in.

Three of these have a twist:

  • Body parts take the article, not my: . - I wash my hands.
  • A language straight after loses it: . - I speak Spanish.
  • A title loses it when you speak to the person: , García. - Good morning, Mr García.

When Spanish drops the article and English keeps it

The other direction is shorter, and each item is one habit.

UseSpanishEnglish
Job after .He's a doctor.
Nationality .She's English.
.I want another coffee.
, .It costs a hundred .
.Wait half an hour.
+ noun¡ !What a day!
One normal item¿ ?Have you got a car?

The job rule has an exception: add an adjective and the article comes back.

  • . - He's a doctor.
  • . - He's an excellent doctor.

is not impossible: said with weight it means he is a real doctor, or picks him out as one doctor among others. As a plain statement of what someone does for a living, leave the article out.

¿ ? asks whether you are a car owner, the normal state of things. With it counts: . - I' got one car and two motorbikes.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
Me . .dogs in general keep the article
. .a bare job takes no article
a . .a + always contracts
never takes
. .body parts take the article
. .on Monday is
and stand alone

What to do next

  1. Learn every new noun with its article: , .
  2. Do the sort and spot-the-mistake drills below.
  3. Next, noun gender explains how to guess or .

Practise: test yourself

Pick the right one

0/8

Choose the correct definite article (el, la, los or las) for each noun.

  1. tiempo

  2. casa

  3. libros

  4. canciones

  5. mano

  6. coche

  7. señores

  8. cabeza

Sort into groups

0/8

Which article goes in front of each noun?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Spot the mistake

0/5

Each sentence has one article mistake an English speaker makes. Tap it.

Fill in the blank

0/6

Fill the gap with the contraction al or del where Spanish forces it, or write the two words apart if no contraction applies.

  1. Voy médico. (a + el) (a + el)

  2. El coche señor es bueno. (de + el) (de + el)

  3. Es el coche . (de + él, the pronoun) (the pronoun él does not contract)

  4. Hablo casa. (de + la) (only el contracts)

  5. Hablo libros. (de + los) (only el contracts, not los)

  6. Veo perro. (a + el) (a + el)

Translation drill

0/5

Translate into Spanish, keeping or dropping the article exactly as Spanish requires.

  1. I like dogs.

  2. He is a doctor.

  3. My head hurts.

  4. I'll see you on Monday.

  5. The doctor's car is good.

Chapters 1 and 2 free

This article is one lesson in a whole course

Every grammar point has its own article and drill, and the course wraps them in graded stories, games and printable worksheets, in the order you need them.

Chapters 1 and 2 free, forever. Plus: 7 days free, then $5 a month for all eleven languages.

Start learning free

Spanish · Free printables

Practice worksheets and infographics

Practice worksheets with answer keys built in, plus infographic and listicle formats. Open any one to view, print or save.

Infographics

  1. Key points infographic
  2. The eight articles
  3. Definite vs indefinite
  4. Gender agreement
  5. Number agreement
  6. When Spanish uses an article and English doesn't
  7. When Spanish drops the article and English keeps it
  8. Mistakes English speakers make

Other formats

  1. Listicle

More grammar on this course

Frequently asked questions

When do I use versus in Spanish?
goes with a masculine singular noun and with a feminine one: (the book), (the house). Most nouns ending in -o are masculine and most ending in -a are feminine. The famous exceptions are worth learning with their article: , , , .
What's the difference between and ?
is the car, a specific one the listener can identify. is a car, any one. It is the same split as English the and a. Use , , or when you both know which thing you mean, and , , or when you are introducing it.
Why is it ' ' and not ' a '?
Because a + must contract to , and + to : (I'm going to the cinema), (the teacher's car). The contraction is compulsory. It never happens with the pronoun ( , his car) or with in a name ( a Salvador).
Why do Spanish speakers say ' ' instead of ' '?
Spanish keeps the definite article when it talks about a whole class of things, where English drops it. means I like dogs in general, not I like the dogs. Abstract nouns work the same way: (life is like that). When in doubt, keep the article.
Do I need an article when saying 'I am a doctor' in Spanish?
Normally not. After , a bare job, nationality or religion takes no article: (I'm a doctor), (she's English). Add an adjective and the article comes back: (he's an excellent doctor).
Why is it ' ' if is feminine?
A feminine noun that starts with a stressed a sound takes in the singular, so the two a sounds do not run together: , . The noun stays feminine, so its adjective is feminine ( ) and the plural is . The page has the whole group.