Apuntes
Los artículos definidos se usan para expresar la palabra en inglés the. Cuáles son? masculino femenino singular el la plural los las
Los artículos definidos se usan:
con abstract nouns and nouns used on a general sense. World peace is important. La paz mundial es importante.
Mr. Gómez is not here. El Sr. Gómez no está aquí. BUT Good morning, Dr. Molinas. Buenos días, Ø Dr. Molinas.
With most titles of people except when speaking directly to a person.
Martha has green eyes. Marta tiene los ojos verdes. Marcus wears the blue jacket. Marcos lleva la chaqueta azul.
con parts of the body and personal possessions (such as ). clothing
We are leaving on March 16. Salimos el 16 de marzo. Today is March 28 th. Hoy es el 28 de marzo. Hoy es Ø 28 de marzo. Today is Monday. Hoy es Ø lunes. BUT
con dates (to mean on ) and con days of the week (except to say what day ). it is
con time of day. It is eight forty-five a.m. Son las nueve menos cuarto de la mañana.
Qué piensas? la Argentina el Canadá el Ecuador los Estados Unidos la China el Perú
con names of certain countries and (geographical areas). cities
In contemporary usage, the definite article is often omitted with these countries.
Qué piensas? El Salvador La Habana
If the definite article is part of the official name of a country or city, it is capitalized and can never be omitted.
Los artículos indefinidos se usan para expresar las palabras en inglés a an some / y. Cuáles son? masculino femenino singular plural un unos una unas
The Spanish indefinite article is sometimes confusing for beginning students, because it has to agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies, and it doesn't always correspond to an article in other languages. For me, it helps to remember that if you have a noun in Spanish, there is virtually always an article (either indefinite or definite) in front of it, unless you use a possessive (my, your, etc.) or a demonstrative (this, that) adjective. It is also vital that when you learn new vocabulary, you make sure to learn the gender of each noun, because the articles (as well as adjectives, pronouns, and just about everything else) change according to the gender of the noun.
The singular indefinite articles in Spanish correspond to a, an, or one in English. The plurals correspond to some. There are four Spanish indefinite articles. MASCULINE FEMININE SINGULAR Un Un libro Una Una profesora PLURAL Unos Unos libros Unas Unas profesoras
The indefinite article usually refers to an unspecified person or thing. Quiero un libro - I want a book. Tiene una idea - He has an idea. The indefinite article can also refer to just one of something: Hay un estudiante en la sala There is one student in the room. The plural indefinite article means some: Compré unas naranjas - I bought some oranges. When refering to a person's profession, the indefinite is not used in Spanish, although it is used in English. Soy profesor - I am a teacher. Ana quiere ser médica - Ana wants to be a doctor.
My mother is a teacher. Mi mamá es Ø maestra. BUT My mother is an excellent teacher. Mi mamá es una maestra excelente.
se OMITEN con nouns used after the verbs hacerse profession affiliation and, in reference to,, or unless its modified by an adjective. unmodified ser religion social status
I don t have a car. No tengo Ø carro/auto. He is wearing a shirt. Él lleva Ø camisa. Is there a quiz today? Hay Ø prueba hoy?
se OMITEN con verbs such as tener llevar poseer hay quantity,, and when the concept of (one) is not emphasized and especially if the sentence is negative interrogative or an.
I like my hamburger with a pickle. Me gusta mi hamburguesa con Ø pepinillo. He writes without a computer. Él escribe sin Ø computadora.
se OMITEN después de las words con and, sin when the concept is not. emphasized
I need another canvas. (Yo) Necesito otro Ø lienzo. The cookies need half a cup of sugar. Las galletas necesitan Ø media taza de azúcar. What a beautiful painting! Qué Ø pintura más linda/hermosa!
se OMITEN con words such as, otro(a), tal, medio(a)... Qué!
The indefinite articles unos and unas are often USED with numbers to indicate. approximation I took about a hundred pictures of Madrid. Saqué unas cien fotos de Madrid.
The definite and indefinite articles are often used with adjectives to form a. noun
Qué piensas? The young chicana The chicano man An activist A chicana woman La joven chicana El chicano Un activista Una chicana
Feminine singular nouns that begin with a- require masculine definite and indefinite articles to avoid repetition of the a sound.
Qué piensas? an/the eagle a/the water un / el águila un / el agua BUT some/the eagles some/the waters unas / las águilas unas / las aguas
Apuntes Lo - Neuter Article In addition to the definite and indefinite articles, Spanish has what is called a neuter article. This article, lo, is invariable and is used in front of just about any adjective in order to express something abstract or a quality. lo fácil the easy thing, lo bueno the good thing lo bello what's beautiful lo justo what is just lo mejor the best
Stem-Changing Verbs With the third group of stem-changing verbs, the letter e in the stem changes to i in all forms except the nosotros and vosotros. repetir repito repites repite repetimos repetís repiten Here's another e:i stem-changing verb. Notice how the stem doesn't change in the nosotros and vosotros forms. pedir (e:i) pido pides pide pedimos pedís piden
You can do it! 1. servir Qué el mesero? 2. competir Atletas de todo el mundo en las Olimpiadas. 3. corregir Los profesoras muchos exámenes. 4. pedir Nosotros el desayuno. 6. decir Quién esto? 7. medir Pablo seis pies. 8. pedir María ayuda. 9. Pedir Ellos la cuenta 10. Seguir Todos las reglas. 5. Seguir El inspector las reglas.
Definite and Indefinite Articles Choose the correct answer. 1. the books el libro la revista los libros las revistas 2. the (female) professor el profesor la profesora un profesor una profesora 3. a (male) cat los gatos un gato el gato la gata 4. some students (male and female) unas estudiantes los estudiantes unos estudiantes el estudiante True or false? 5. There are four definite articles: el, la, los, las. true false 6. There are four indefinite articles: un, una, unos, unas. true false 7. Un means both a and one, when used before a masculine noun. true false 8. When referring to a specific noun, use the indefinite articles. true false Choose the correct translation. 9. (a table) mesa 10. (a cat) gata
La expresión verbal Hay The difference is one in meaning. Hay is used to refer to mere existence, while está or están is used to describe location. As an example, look at the following simple sentence: "There is a book." The English is ambiguous. The sentence could be phrased as "a book is there," meaning that a book is in a certain location. Or could be interpreted as "a book exists." In Spanish a different verb would be used in each instance. To say that the book is in a location, use a form of estar: El libro está allí. (The book is there.) But to say it merely exists, use a form of haber, in this case hay: Hay un libro. (A book exists.)