English - Spanish Dictionary
/ðə/
The is the definite article in English. In Spanish, it translates to el, la, los, las, or lo depending on the gender and number of the noun, or its grammatical function.
| # | Type | English | Spanish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | article | the article | el |
| 2 | article | the article | la |
| 3 | article | the article | los |
| 4 | article | the article | las |
| 5 | article | the article | lo |
| 6 | article | the with a superlative | el |
| 7 | article | the used with the name of a member of a class to refer to all things in that class | el |
| 8 | article | the with an adjectival noun, as in “the hungry” to mean “hungry people” | los |
| 9 | article | the with an adjectival noun, as in “the hungry” to mean “hungry people” | las |
The cat is sleeping on the table.
El gato está durmiendo en la mesa.
She is the best student in the class.
Ella es la mejor estudiante de la clase.
The poor need our help.
Los pobres necesitan nuestra ayuda.
Spanish requires the definite article to agree in gender and number with the noun: el (masculine singular), la (feminine singular), los (masculine or mixed plural), las (feminine plural). Use lo before adjectives acting as nouns to express abstract concepts. Unlike English, Spanish often uses the definite article with professions, languages, and proper nouns in certain contexts.
Source: Wiktionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Audio: Wikimedia Commons