Language/Spanish/Grammar/Los-Articulos

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THE ARTICLES IN SPANISH

"Artículo es una parte de la oración que se junta solo al nombre sustantivo, o a otra parte que haga veces de nombre, para señalar y determinar la persona, cosa o acción de que se habla" Gramática de la lengua castellana, RAE. Edición de 1824 ("Article is a part of the sentence that joins only to the substantive name, or to another part that acts as a name, to indicate and determine the person, thing or action that is spoken" Grammar of the Castilian language". RAE. Edition of 1824)

The article is a variable part of the sentence that has the function of limiting the extension of the noun. As the old definition of the RAE indicates, it can go before the name, or take its place.

It is not the same to say "quiero comer naranjas" (I want to eat oranges), than "quiero comer las naranjas de mi tía" (I want to eat the oranges of my aunt).

In the first sentence, it is only said that the subject wants to eat oranges. That is to say, to speak of this fruit in a general sense. It is not specified what type of oranges. In the second sentence, the article "las" plays the role of limiting the meaning of the noun oranges, since it is only referring to those that the aunt possesses.

Examples of articles: el, la, lo, los, la, las, un, una, uno, unos.