Directions: Take a look at the sentences below. Observe the situations when a specific definite article is used and what changes are made to the other parts of speech in the sentence. Make your best guess to create a rule in your own words for using el, la, los, and las.

Question

Example sentences:
El alumno nuevo es tímido. The new (male) student is shy.
La alumna nueva es tímida. The new (female) student is shy.

Los alumnos nuevos son tímidos. The new (male) students are shy.*
Las alumnas nuevas son tímidas. The new (female) students are shy.

*This sentence can also refer to a mixed group of female and male students.*
Hint:
Look at the parts of speech (noun, adjective, verb, definite article).
Note the differences among each of the sentences.
Note the subject of the sentence. Describe it.
Use the special phrase: agrees with

Answer 1

Rule for Using Definite Articles in Spanish:

In Spanish, the definite articles (el, la, los, las) agree with the gender and number of the nouns they modify.

1. Gender:

   • Use "el" for singular masculine nouns (e.g., "el alumno").
   • Use "la" for singular feminine nouns (e.g., "la alumna").
   • Use "los" for plural masculine nouns (e.g., "los alumnos").
   • Use "las" for plural feminine nouns (e.g., "las alumnas").

2. Number:

   • The articles "el" and "la" are used for singular nouns, while "los" and "las" are for plural nouns.
   • The adjectives that describe the nouns must also agree in gender and number. For instance:
     • "nuevo" changes to "nueva" to agree with the feminine noun ("la alumna") and changes to "nuevos" to agree with the plural masculine noun ("los alumnos").

3. Overall Agreement:

   • The definite article, noun, and adjective in a sentence must all agree with each other in both gender (masculine vs. feminine) and number (singular vs. plural).

For example:

• In the sentence "El alumno nuevo es tímido," "el" (masculine singular) agrees with "alumno" (masculine singular) and "nuevo" (masculine singular).
• In "Las alumnas nuevas son tímidas," "las" (feminine plural) agrees with "alumnas" (feminine plural) and "nuevas" (feminine plural).

By following these guidelines, you can ensure that your sentences are grammatically correct in terms of gender and number agreement in Spanish.