Spanish: An Essential Grammar

El used to form verbal nouns

Elis the required article before the infinitive of a verb used as a noun, see

17.6.

The definite article

Although there are very important differences in usage between English and

Spanish, in general terms the use of the definite article to refer to someone

or something specific is predictable from English:

Esto es jerez pero no el jerez que me gusta.

This is sherry but not the sherry that I like.

Juan trajo rosas y María tiró las flores que compró ayer.

Juan brought roses and María threw away the flowers she bought

yesterday.

Contexts in which the use of the definite article is

predominant

The definite article with generic nouns

In common with other Romance languages, Spanish requires the definite

article before a noun used to refer to an entire category of people or things

in general:

El plomo es un metal muy blando. Lead is a very soft metal.

Los vinos de Chile son magníficos. Chilean wines are splendid.

English does this only when a singular noun is used with a general meaning:

La jirafa es un animal extraño.

The giraffe is a strange animal = Giraffes are strange animals.

The definite article with abstract nouns

The article is used with abstract nouns when they have a general sense:

Hay que reducir la pobreza en este país.

We have to reduce poverty in this country.

un aumento de la delicuencia an increase in crime

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The definite

article

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