Unit 1b Guidebook
Understanding gendered particles in Spanish "el" and "la".
KEY CONCEPTS
Definite Articles
In Spanish, el and la are definite articles used to mean "the" in English. They help to specify the gender and singularity of nouns.
Generally, nouns ending in -o are masculine and use el, like el perro (the dog), and nouns ending in -a are feminine and use la, like la gata (the cat).
However, there are exceptions and irregularities that you should be aware of.
Regular Usage
EL (masculine)
El is used for masculine singular nouns:
El niño (the boy)
El pollo (the chicken)
the boy
LA (feminine)
La is used for feminine singular nouns:
La niña (the girl)
La salsa (the sauce)
the girl
Irregular Examples
Despite these general rules of "-o" words being "el" and "-a" words being "la", there are nouns that don't follow the typical gender endings:
El sol (the sun)
La situación (the situation)
Understanding when to use el or la correctly involves memorizing some of these exceptions, but over time it becomes intuitive as you immerse yourself in the Spanish language. Keep practicing with different nouns and soon you will be using el and la like a native!
Unit Vocab
Here is a chart of some words you'll see in the exercise:
El Pollo
The Chicken
El Carro
The Car
El Niño
The Boy
El Fuego
The Fire
El Caballo
The Horse
La Luna
The Moon
El Turno
The Turn
El Queso
The Cheese
La Cosa
The Thing
La Salsa
The Sauce
La Abuela
The Grandma
La Niña
The Girl
La Rana
The Frog
La Luna
The Moon
La Sopa
The Soup
La Gasolina
The Gasoline
BEGIN Exercise
