How Does "The" Translate Into Spanish?

The definite article the is translated by el before a masculine singular noun, la before a feminine singular noun, los before a masculine plural noun, las before a feminine plural noun:

•  the book/books = el libro/los libros
•  the table/tables = la mesa/las mesas

Singular feminine nouns beginning with a stressed or accented a or ha take the article el rather than la:

•  the eagle = el águila
•  the water = el agua

These nouns are marked in this dictionary by the symbol ?

Exceptions to this rule are:

? the letters of the alphabet la a and la hache

? words such as la árabe, where the feminine article is needed in order to differentiate gender

The masculine singular article el combines with the prepositions de and a to form del and al:

•  la página del libro = the page of the book
•  fui al mercado = I went to the market

When/when not to use the

In the following cases, translations into Spanish must include the definite article, although it does not appear in English

? with generic nouns, which denote a whole category:

•  love is powerful = el amor es poderoso
•  I despise hypocrisy = detesto la hipocresía
•  children are a blessing = los ni?os son una bendición
•  roses are beautiful = las rosas son hermosas

? with the names of certain countries and places:

•  India = la India
•  Cairo = El Cairo
•  Havana = la Habana

Note that some geographical names may be used with or without the article (this is not a comprehensive list):

•  Argentina = (la) Argentina
•  Brazil = (el) Brasil
•  Ecuador = (el) Ecuador
•  Japan = (el) Japón
•  Paraguay = (el) Paraguay
•  Peru = (el) Perú
•  Uruguay = (el) Uruguay
•  Vietnam = (el) Vietnam

? where a second plural noun is mentioned, with a change of gender in the Spanish:

•  the horses and cows = los caballos y las vacas

The definite article is not translated in the names of monarchs or popes which contain an ordinal number in English:

•  Henry the Third = Enrique tercero
•  Elizabeth the Second = Isabel segunda

For more examples and particular usages see the entries for the

See more from Grammar