Definition: An article is a word used in conjunction with a noun to specify its grammatical definiteness, gender, number, and (in some languages) case.
In Spanish, an article accompanies a noun and specifies the following grammatical aspects of it:
Definiteness - definite or indefinite
Gender - feminine or masculine (and in specific cases neuter)
Number - singular or plural
Note: Unlike in some other languages, there is no case inflection for articles in Spanish.
Definite articles in Spanish are equivalent to the English definite article the. Unlike in English, however, there are 5 of them:
el - masculine singular
los - masculine plural
la - feminine singular
las - feminine plural
lo - neuter singular (used in specific cases only)
Indefinite articles in Spanish are equivalent to the English indefinite a/an or some (in plural). There are 4 of them in Spanish:
un - masculine singular
unos - masculine plural
una - feminine singular
unas - feminine plural
Articles in Spanish are often used in the same manner as they would in English. However, there are many instances where the use of articles differs significantly between the two languages. Familiarize yourself with the usage rules below.
The definite articles are used:
When referring to general concepts and things:
El café de Colombia es sabroso - Colombian coffee is tasty
El amor es doloroso - Love is painful
When referring to a specific person or thing:
El novio de Laura es muy guapo - Laura's boyfriend is very handsome
Puedes recoger a los niños de la escuela? - Can you pick up the kids from school?
When telling time:
Nos vemos a las tres - We'll see each other at three o'clock
Qué hora es? Son las tres y media de la tarde - What time is it? It's 3:30 in the afternoon
With days of week or 'weekend':
Voy al mercado los domingos - I go to the market on Sundays
No trabajamos los fines de semana - We don't work on weekends
However, no article is used following a form of the verb 'ser':
Hoy es sábado - Today is Saturday
With seasons of the year:
Me encanta el verano - I love summer
El otoño es mi estación favorita - Fall is my favorite season
However, no article is typically used with en and de:
Los colores de primavera - The colors of spring
Voy a la playa en verano - I go to the beach in summer
En invierno me gusta tomar sopa - In winter, I like to eat soup
With names of languages when used as a subject:
El español suena muy lindo - Spanish sounds very beautiful
El ruso es difícil de aprender - Russian is hard to learn
However, when a language is an object of a sentence, no article is used:
Hablo turco con fluidez - I speak Turkish fluently
With body parts:
Me duelen los dedos después de tocar el ukelele - My fingers hurt after playing ukulele
Los niños se lavan las manos - The children wash their hands
Tengo la pierna rota - I have a broken leg
No siento los dedos - I don't feel my fingers
Note: In Spanish, definite articles are typically used instead of short-form possessives (mi, tu, su, etc.) when talking about body parts.
With musical instruments, sports and games:
Mi hermana toca la guitarra - My sister plays guitar
Las niñas juegan al voleibol en la playa - The girls are playing volleyball on the beach
With personal titles when referring to people:
La señora Hernández está enferma - Senora Hernandez is sick
El doctor Torres es uno de cirujanos más destacados del país - Dr. Torres is one of the country's most distinguished surgeons
However, the article is omitted before the title when addressing the person by the title
¿Como está, señora Sánchez? - How are you doing, senora Sanchez?
With country names which inherently require the use of a definite article:
He vivido en los Estados Unidos durante trece ańos - I have lived in the United States for thirteen years
El año pasado visité el Reino Unido - Last year, I visited the United Kingdom
Mi amigo Swarup nació en la India - My friend Swarup was born in India
However, countries that do not have a definite article in their names, have to be used with an article when modified:
Voy a la Italia hermosa - I'm going to beautiful Italy
With names of mountains, lakes, rivers, seas, and oceans:
El Everest es la montaña más alta de la superficie de la Tierra - Everest is the highest mountain on Earth's surface
El Amazonas es el río más largo y caudaloso del mundo - The Amazon is the largest (by discharge) and fastest flowing river in the world
With infinitives as nouns (optional):
El saber matemáticas es muy importante - Knowing mathematics is very important
El fumar está prohibido aquí - Smoking is prohibited here
With expressions containing todo (all, every, the whole):
Todo el mundo usa nuestra aplicación para aprender idiomas - Everyone uses our application for learning languages
Pasamos toda la noche bailando - We spent the whole night dancing
With percentages:
El 82% de los estudiantes son hombres - 82% of students are males
En un grupo de amigos el 40% están casados - In a group of friends, 40% are married
However, no article or indefinite article un is used after hay (there is) when talking about probability:
Hay (un) 90% de probabilidad de que se forme un ciclón - There's a 90% chance that a cyclone forms
With family names:
Los Morales son ya no viven en esta casa - The Moraleses no longer live in this house
Los Sanchez son muy amables - The Sanchezes are very nice
With colors when used as a noun:
Mi color favorito es el amarillo - Yellow is my favorite color
El azul es el color más cálido - Blue is the warmest color
The indefinite articles are used:
When referring to an object without specifically identifying it:
Vamos a ver una película- Let's watch a movie
Tuve una ensalada para el almuerzo - I had a salad for lunch
When mentioning an approximate quantity of something in plural:
Tenemos unos doscientos pesos - We have about two hundred pesos
Pasé unos días en la playa - I spent a few days at the beach
When describing a person using a noun:
Mi abuela es una santa - My grandmother is a saint
El niño es una pesadilla - The boy is a nightmare
With the impersonal form of the verb haber with singular nouns:
Hay una gran diferencia entre los dos deportes - There's a huge difference between the two sports
Hay una película que quiero ver - There's a movie I want to watch
Articles are omitted in the following cases:
With ser + a noun describing profession, nationality, or religion:
Ella es bailarina - She is a dancer
Mi vecinos son mexicanos - My neighbors are Mexicans
La novia de Maria es budista - Maria's girlfriend is a Buddhist
However, when the noun describing profession, nationality, or religion is modified with an adjective, an indefinite article is used:
Ella es una bailarina talentosa - She is a talented dancer
Mi vecinos son mexicanos muy amables - My neighbors are very kind Mexicans
La novia de Maria es una budista ferviente - Maria's girlfriend is a fervent Buddhist
With otro (another), cierto (certain, one), medio (half), tal (such), cien (a hundred), mil (a thousand), and exclamations using qué + noun (what a ...!):
¿Quires otra cerveza? - Want another beer?
Cierto hecho fue ocultado al público - A certain fact was hidden from public
Tenemos media hora para prepararnos - We have half an hour to get ready
Nunca he visto tal pobreza como la de ese país - I've never seen such poverty as in that country
Gané cien dólares en la lotería - I won a hundred dollars in the lottery
Gastó mil euros el fin de semana pasado - He spent a thousand euros last weekend
¡Qué idioma tan lindo! - What a beautiful language!
After the verbs llevar and tener when referring to generic possession:
Tienes coche? - Do you have a car?
Normalmente, no llevo reloj - Normally, I do not wear a watch
However, if a noun is modified by an adjective, an indefinite article is used:
Tienes un coche caro? - Do you have an expensive car?
Llevo un reloj de oro - I wear a gold watch
In Spanish, prepositions a and de combined with masculine article el result in contractions al and del respectively:
Los padres van al cine esta noche - The parents went to a movie theater tonight
¿Quieres jugar al fútbol con mis amigos? - Want to play football with my friends?
La mejor parte del libro es el capítulo tres - The best part of the book is chapter three
The neuter definite article lo is used before singular adjectives and possessive pronouns and makes them function as a noun in a sentence:
Lo más importante es tu salud - The most important is your health
Lo peor está detrás - The worst is behind
Me gusta lo mexicano - I like all things Mexican
Debes cargar lo tuyo - You must carry what's yours
As seen in the examples above, the construction lo + adjective/possessive pronoun refers not to a specific object, but rather a general concept.
Note: There are no neuter nouns in Spanish, so lo can never be used with a noun.