I am currently in Spanish 1. I am gradually catching on to Spanish, but my question is.. Can you help clarify to me when I should put a small word before a verb or noun.. for instance "los libros"
How do I know whether its La, los and etc.? I know it has something to deal with feminine and masculine but I haven't caught on to that when I have my teacher explain to me it just goes in one and ear and out the other because i don't get it.
I'll send this to our Spanish expert, SraJMcGin.
I'll be happy to help you. Just post your questions here and one of the teachers will forward it to me!
There are 2 things to remember when you first start Spanish. One is GENDER (words in Spanish are either masculine (identified by el, as in el libro) or feminine (identified by la, as in la casa.) The second thing is number = either singular or plural.
It might help if I knew the name of your textbook. Often textbooks have extra help Online, with or without a workbook.
MOST nouns will use either el or la in the singular ("the") OR un or una ("a, an").
You can rapidly increase your vocabulary by learning "cognates" which are words easily guessable! For example: la bicicleta. Can you guess "bicycle?" Notice that as you learn a new noun, you also need to learn whether it is masculine or feminine. this one was feminine, as denoted by the "la" introducing it.
Assuming that you are beginning with nouns, here are the "Grammar Rules."
1. Almost all nouns ending in -o, or referring to male beings, are generally masculine. (Yes, there are some exceptions, but don't worry until you meet them!) Nouns ending in -a, -d, -ión, or referring to female beings are generally feminine. (Yes, a few exceptions as well!)
Examples: el libro (the boook), el padre (the father) = 2 masculine nouns
la tinta (the ink), la ciudad (the city), la lección (the lesson), la madre (the mother) = 4 examples of feminine nouns.
2. The gender of other nouns myust be learned individually. el lápiz (pencil), el papel (paper) = 2 masculine nouns vs la flor (flower), la sal(salt) = 2 feminine nouns.
Have I lost you yet?!! Don't be impatient with yourself and think back to how you learned English. It was after a LOT of repetition, practice, etc. Have you ever analyzed what kind of learner you are? There are 3 basic types, with combinations, of course. One is VISUAL, which means you learn by seeing, so color-coding is helpful. Another is AUDITORY/ORAL, which means you learn by hearing. The third is KINISTHETIC. That means you need to see it, hear it, practice it "feel it" and that's the kind of learner I am. That means that it takes LONGER for you to learn something new, BUT you RETAIN it a lot longer than other learners! This, btw (by the way) is the first thing we did in Spanish I. If you know HOW you learn, it's a lot easier!
3. The articles used before masculine nouns are "el" (the) and "un" (a, an). The articvles used before feminine singular nouns are "la" (the) and "una" (a, an).
Examples: el hombre (The man), un cuadro (a picture) = 2 masculine nouns vs. la mujer (woman ) or una silla (a
chair) = 2 examples of feminine nouns.
If you would like some words to guess/practice, just let me know!
Meantime, I'll flag this so I can come back later to see what additional questions you might have!
Sra (short for Señora)
PS I hope you are learning the alphabet early, because many of my Spanish IV/V students didn't even know the alphabet! :)
Yes we have been through the alphabet and verbs, nouns and endings. (: and I appreciate you taking the time to help me out. But we don't necessarily use our text books as often. Its mostly her teaching and us doing hands on worksheets and etc. And I do believe that I am a kinisthetic learner as well (: That did help me a lot more reading that. But I thought the noun or verb (word before it) is always the same? For instance I always thought it would stay "los libros" ??
I'm not sure I understand your question. If you see "el libro" it translates either "the book" or merely "book" but if you see the plural "los libros" the translation is either "the books" or merely "books."
Did that answer it? If you are also doing verbs, you probably began with -ar regular verbs. Have you also done -er and -ir regular verbs? I don't know just how far you have gone.
Sra
JISKHA: SPANISH I, PRESENT TENSE OF REGULAR VERBS:
The pattern for a regular -ar verb is hablAR. That is the infinitive which means: no subject, no tense, translated as “to speak/talk.” Drop the -AR and you have the “stem” to which certain endings are added, depending upon the subject. The subject pronoun does not need to be stated, as the ending will clearly state the subject.
1st person singular = (yo) hablO = I speak, I DO speak, I AM speakING.
2nd person singular = (tú) hablAS = you (familiar, singular) speak, DO speak, ARE speakING
3rd person singular = (él, ella Usted) habla = he/she/you formal & singular speak, DO speak, ARE speakING.
*Note there are usually 3 English translations for each verb form in the Present Indicative Tense. Don't let the terminology frighten you; indicative means a “fact” is indicated.
1st person plural = (nosotros/nosotras) hablamos = we (masculine/feminine) speak/DO speak/ARE speakING
2nd person plural = (vosotros/vosotras = not always taught in Level I) herbals = you - plural and familiar speak/DO speak/ARE speakING
3rd person plural = ellos/ellas/Ustedes = they masculine/they feminine/you-all plural and formal speak (or talk), DO speak/talk, ARE speakING/talkING.
Note the ending of the subject and the ending of the conjugated verb:
(yo) = o o
(tú) = as (the important is the “s”)
(él/ella/usted) = a
(nosotros/nosotras) = amos (the marker is the “mos”)
(vosotros/vosotras) = ais
(ellos/ellas/ustedes) = an (the marker is the “n”)
This, then, is the pattern for a REGULAR -AR verb. Have you done -er and -ir yet?
Sra
Of course, I can definitely help clarify this for you! Understanding whether to use words like "la," "los," "el," or "las" is related to the concept of noun gender in Spanish. In Spanish, nouns are categorized as either feminine or masculine, and this affects the articles and adjectives that accompany them.
Here are some guidelines to help you determine the appropriate article to use before a noun:
1. Gender: Firstly, you need to identify if the noun is feminine or masculine. This can be a bit tricky since there aren't strict rules for determining gender, and it often just depends on the word itself. However, there are some patterns that can be helpful. For example, most nouns ending in "-a" are feminine, such as "la casa" (the house) or "la comida" (the food). Masculine nouns, on the other hand, often end in other letters, such as "el libro" (the book) or "el perro" (the dog).
2. Singular vs. Plural: Once you determine the gender of the noun, you also need to consider whether it is singular or plural. If the noun is singular, you would use "el" or "la" depending on the gender, such as "la casa" (the house) or "el libro" (the book). If the noun is plural and feminine, you would use "las," for example, "las casas" (the houses). If the noun is plural and masculine, you would use "los," like "los libros" (the books).
Remember, it's essential to practice and memorize the gender of nouns as you encounter them. As you continue learning Spanish, you will become more familiar with common patterns and exceptions.
To reinforce your understanding, I recommend practicing with online exercises or using language learning apps, such as Duolingo or Memrise, which often include interactive lessons on noun gender. Additionally, using flashcards can be a helpful tool for memorizing gender as you learn new vocabulary.
I hope this explanation clarifies the use of articles in Spanish for you. Don't hesitate to ask if you have any further questions!