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4.29: Artículos indefinidos y definidos

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    Objetivos

    Select the appropriate definite or indefinite article for the context

    Artículos indefinidos y definidos

    Movie poster for El Laberinto del Fauno
    la_mujer_sin_cabeza1-214x300.jpg
    los_olvidados-210x300.jpg

    Definite articles: (the) are used with specific nouns. They also tell us whether a noun is masculine or feminine AND plural or singular. They can be expressed in four ways:

    masculino femenino
    singular el la
    plural los las
    • ¿Quién es la profesora de español?
    • Necesito el libro de español.
    Movie poster for Un amor en tiempos de Selfies-- A man leaning on a giant cellphone. There is a picture of a woman on the phone.
    una_vida_mejor-209x300.jpg
    Movie poster for Unas Preguntas showing two women marching with signs

    Indefinite articles: (a/an/some) are used with nouns that are not specific or have been previously mentioned. They also state whether a noun is masculine or feminine AND plural or singular. They can be expressed in four ways:

    masculino femenino
    singular un una
    plural unos unas
    • Hay una pizarra en el salón de clase.
    • Hay unos papeles en mi mochila.

    El verbo hay

    Hay comes from the verb haber and it means “there is.” However, hay is the only form used in the present tense for both singular and plural descriptions, so it also means “there are.”

    Writing on the sidewalk reads: Sin maíz no hay pais.
    • Hay una profesora en la clase. (There is one professor in the class.)
    • Hay treinta estudiantes en la clase. (There are 30 students in the class.)
    • Hay un reloj en la pared. (There’s a clock on the wall.)
    • Hay dos pizarras. (There are two blackboards.)
    • ¿Qué hay en tu mochila? (What is there in your backpack?)

    When making negative statements, the article is usually not included after the verb:

    • En mi cuarto, no hay cortinas. (In my bedroom there aren’t any curtains.)
    • No hay cartera en su mochila. (There’s no wallet in her backpack.)

    Hay is never followed by the definite article (el,la,los,las), only by indefinite articles, numbers or adjectives of quantity, or just nouns.

    • Hay un papel en mi pupitre. (There is a paper on my desk.)
    • Hay 20 estudiantes en la clase de español. (There are 20 students in the Spanish class.)
    • Hay muchas chicas y pocos chicos en la clase. (There are a lot of girls and few boys in the class.)
    • Hay problemas con el Wifi. (There are problems with the Wifi.)
    Thumbnail for the embedded element "60-Second Spanish Grammar: The Verb Form [HAY] via The LEAF Project"

    A YouTube element has been excluded from this version of the text. You can view it online here: http://pb.libretexts.org/introductoryspanishii/?p=106

    ¡Inténtalo! (Try It!)

    A. practice Artículos indefinidos y definidos

    https://assess.lumenlearning.com/pra...b-582e9b7f6fd4

    B. practice Artículos indefinidos y definidos

    https://assess.lumenlearning.com/pra...c-02cdfd2a793c

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    • The Verb Hay. Authored by: The Leaf Architect. Provided by: leaflanguages.org. Located at: https://youtu.be/c0zbQKvQiwE. Project: Leaf Languages. License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube License

    4.29: Artículos indefinidos y definidos is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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