Definite and Indefinite Articles in Spanish

In Spanish, a noun names people, places, things and ideas. Nouns are gender specific, which means they are masculine or feminine. This does not mean that nouns are perceived to have male or female attributes. Nouns are also number specific. The definite and indefinite articles in Spanish are very different than in English grammar. Below describes the definite and indefinite articles in Spanish and their relation to both gender and the amount of nouns.

Definite Article

Definite articles in Spanish are very different from the English equivalent "the". Spanish definite articles are gender specific. The two genders considered in the Spanish language are masculine (male) and feminine (female). With most nouns, the masculine nouns end in "o" (ex. perro), and the feminine noun ends in "a" (ex. chaqueta). The definite article masculine form is "el/los", and the feminine form is "la/las". In Spanish, the definite article will also match the number. When there is only one item, it is considered to be singular.

Example of the Singular Masculine Form
the dog - el perro

Example of Singular Feminine Form
The jacket - la chaqueta

When there is more than one item, it is considered to be plural.

Example of the Plural Masculine Form
the dogs - los perros

Example of the Plural Feminine Form
the jackets - las chaquetas

Indefinite Article

Indefinite articles in Spanish are also very different from English. The indefinite article has the English equivalent "a" and "some". The gender also follows the masculine and feminine format. The indefinite article must also match the number. The masculine form is "un/unos", and the feminine form is "una/unas". When there is only one item, it is considered to be singular.

Example of the Singular Masculine Form
a dog - un perro

Example of the Singular Feminine Form
a jacket - una chaqueta

When there is more than one item, it is considered plural.

Example of the Plural Masculine Form
some dogs - unos perros

Example of the Plural Feminine Form
some jackets - unas chaquetas

Using Definite and Indefinite Article with People

If the person is female, the definite and indefinite article is feminine.

Examples in the Singular and Plural Form
the girl - la chica
a girl - una chica

the girls - las chicas
some girls - unas chicas

the professor - la profesora
a professor - una profesora

the (female) professors - las profesoras
some (female) professors - unas profesoras

If the person is male, the definite and indefinite article is masculine. In a group of males and females, the definite and indefinite article is also masculine.

Examples in the Singular and Plural Form
the boy - el chico
a boy - un chico

the boys - los chicos
some boys - unos chicos

the professor - el profesor
a professor - un profesor

the (male/female or all male) professors - los profesores
some (male/female or all male) professors - unos profesores

Exceptions of the Rules of Indefinite and Definite Articles

Most words that end in "-ma" is masculine. Few examples are el problema and el sistema.

Nouns that do not have the "o" and "a" endings are either masculine or feminine. The best way to learn these words is to memorize the article along with the word. A few examples include la clase and el papel.

Some words that end in "a" and "o" may be the opposite gender then the rules indicate. A well-known example of this exception is el día. The best way to study these exceptions is to memorize the article along with the word.