Direct and Indirect Articles
Los artículos
There are 8 articles total
They can be divided in different ways by these categories:
definite articles (el, la, los and las)
indefinite articles (un, una, unos, unas)
masculine articles (el, los, un, unos)
feminine articles (la, las, una, unas)
singular articles (el, la, un, una)
plural articles (los, las, unos, unas)
When to use masculine articles:
Typically words that end in L-O-N-E-R are masculine, meaning you would use el if you
were asked for the definite article or un if you were asked for the indefinite article
el/un papel
el/un mono
el/un ratón
el/un cine
el/un doctor
*Sometimes the plural can be tricky because you have to look at what the singular form of the
word would have ended in to figure out if it is masculine or feminine, then choose the correct
plural form of the article:
los/unos papeles los/unos monos los/unos ratones los/unos cines los/unos doctores
When to use feminine articles:
Typically words that end in D-ión-Z-A are feminine, meaning you would use la if you
were asked for the definite article or una if you were asked for the indefinite article:
la/una pared
la/una promoción
la/una actriz
la/una mesa
*Sometimes the plural can be tricky because you have to look at what the singular form of the
word would have ended in to figure out if it is masculine or feminine, then choose the correct
plural form of the article:
las/unas paredes
las/unas promociones
las/unas actrices
las/unas mesas
Exceptions to gender rules!!
You just have to memorize the exceptions; there isn’t a trick to figure out
when a word is an exception
Ex: el lápiz (has a masculine article even though the word ends in –z)
el día (has a masculine article even though the word ends in –a)
la flor (has a feminine article even though the word ends in –r)
el sacapuntas (has a masculine article even though the word ends in –as)
GAME TIME!!
Each row has a white board! Each person will take a turn,
after the round is over pass the whiteboard forward to the
next person.
You only need to write the article! I will tell you if it needs
to be definite or indefinite. You decide if it’s masculine or
feminine.
Ex: ____ pluma (def.)
____ chico (indef.)
GAME!!
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
___ niño (def.)
___ teatro (indef.)
___ rosa (def.)
___ papel (indef.)
___ guitarra (def.)
___ lápiz (def.)
___ mono (indef.)
8. ___ cine (def.)
9. ___ flor (def.)
10. ___ hija (indef.)
11. ___ nariz (def.)
12. ___ día (def.)
13. ___ canción (indef.)
14. ___ sacapuntas (def.)