When studying grammar we come across different types of words. Verbs, adjectives, determiners, pronouns, articles or conjunctions, among others. In this post we are going to focus on specific articles.
The articles determined or defined in our language are the following: the, the, the, the and the. It is an element that determines another, the noun. In this way, the definite article informs about the noun, indicating that the associated noun is something known. It should be remembered that there are other articles, the indeterminate ones, which are one, one, ones and ones, which communicate that the nouns that accompany them are unknown by the speaker.
Detailed explanation of specific items
For the masculine singular we have the article el (for example, the horse). For the feminine singular there is the article la (the orange). For the masculine plural we use the article the (the books) and for the feminine plural we use the article the (the neighbors). There is also the neutral article lo (for example, the possible).
The use of the definite or indeterminate article depends on the meaning of the phrase. Thus, if I say "my neighbor's son is in her room" with the article, I am communicating that I know who that person is (if I said "my neighbor's son is in her room" I would be transmitting that I do not know who he is. exactly, since article a is indeterminate). If I see a dog for the first time I will refer to the animal as "a dog" but if I already know it I will say "the dog". Ultimately, the use of one type of article or another will depend on the context in which a certain action takes place.
In Spanish grammar, the definite article should not be used to accompany people's names (saying María or Vicente would be vulgar). However, the proper names do carry an article (the Orinoco or the Machu Pichu). Sometimes the article is omitted, as it is not essential (for example, when stating "apartment is sold" instead of its full form "apartment is sold").
The determining article can also be contracted with some preposition. Thus, the preposition a + the article the create the contract article to (tomorrow we will go to the movies) or the preposition of + the article of form the contract article of (the child's toy).
Finally, it must be remembered that the definite article has a substantive function. For example, if I say "the intelligent one has arrived" I am converting an adjective (intelligent) into a noun.
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