Español — Obligatory definite article
In many cases Spanish requires the definite article (el, la, los, las) where English drops it: with days of the week (los lunes), clock time (la una), body parts (me duele la cabeza), percentages (el 20%) and generic nouns (el agua es vital).
How it works
Use the article for habitual days (los lunes = on Mondays), the time of day (son las tres, es la una), body parts and clothing instead of a possessive (me lavo las manos), percentages (subió el 8%) and nouns taken in a general sense (me gusta el café). It also appears with dates: el 15 de mayo.
Examples
| Use | Example |
|---|---|
| Days of the week (habitual) | Los lunes voy al gimnasio. |
| Clock time | Es la una y son las cinco. |
| Dates | La reunión es el 15 de mayo. |
| Body parts / clothing | Me duele la cabeza. |
| Percentages | El 20% de los alumnos aprobó. |
| Generic nouns | El café me gusta; el agua es vital. |
Good to know
After ser to name a day, the article is dropped: Hoy es lunes (not «hoy es el lunes»). The article also disappears after a preposition of frequency-free reference, e.g. de lunes a viernes. With feminine nouns starting with stressed a-, use el for sound only: el agua, but the noun stays feminine (el agua fría).