The article (el artículo) is a special type of adjective. As such, it mirrors the noun's gender and number. It is placed before the noun.
There are two types of articles: definite (definido or determinado) and indefinite (indefinido or indeterminado).
The indefinite articles are:
In English: a/an (singular); some (plural)
In Spanish: un (singular, masculine), una (singular, feminine); unos (plural, masculine), unas (plural, feminine)
The definite articles are:
In English: the (both for singular and plural)
In Spanish: el* (singular, masculine), la (singular, feminine); los (plural, masculine), las (plural, feminine)
*Note 1: do not mistake the definite article "el" (the) for the personal pronoun "él" (he). One little accent makes a big difference!
Note 2: the definite article "el" (the) contracts with the prepositions "a" (to) and "de" (of):
A + EL = AL
DE + EL = DEL
We use the indefinite articles to:
1. Talk about someone or something that belongs to a category:
Es un futbolista brasileño.
He is a Brasilian football player.
He is a Brasilian football player.
2. Indicate the quantity of something:
Tengo una hermana.
I have a/one sister.
I have a/one sister.
We use the definite articles to:
1. Talk about something unique:
La madre de Andrés es alemana.
The mother of Andrew is German.
The mother of Andrew is German.
2. To talk about something general:
El perro es el mejor amigo del hombre.
The dog is man's best friend.
The dog is man's best friend.
3. To talk about something specific, that has been introduced to us before:
Hay un perro en el jardín. El perro es negro.
There is a dog in the garden. The dog is black.
There is a dog in the garden. The dog is black.
