Two distinguishing features of the English language that are generally absent in Spanish are:
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Tense System: English has a more complex tense system, with various aspects (simple, progressive, perfect, and perfect progressive) that allow for nuanced expressions of time and aspect. While Spanish also has a tense system, its use of compound tenses and aspects is different, and Spanish relies more on personal endings for verbs to convey information about time.
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Article Usage: In English, the use of definite and indefinite articles is more prevalent and systematic. For example, the articles "the" (definite) and "a/an" (indefinite) play crucial roles in English sentences. In contrast, while Spanish has definite (el, la) and indefinite (un, una) articles, their usage and the rules surrounding them can differ, especially in terms of generalizations and specificity.
These features contribute to the structural and grammatical differences between the two languages.