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1.13: En contexto- Los artículos indefinidos y definidos / Hay

  • Page ID
    304566
    • Erica Brown, Alejandra Escudero, María Cristina Montoya, & Elizabeth Small
    • SUNY Oneonta via OER SUNY

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    In this section we’ll be looking at definite and indefinite articles in Spanish. First, let’s consider what articles are. There are three articles in the English language: “the”, “a”, and “an”. These are divided into two types of articles: definite (the) and indefinite (a, an). The definite article indicates a level of specificity that the indefinite does not. “An apple” could refer to any apple; however “the apple” is referring back to a specific apple. Thus, when using the definite article, the speaker assumes the listener knows the identity of the noun’s referent (because it is obvious, because it is common knowledge, or because it was mentioned in the same sentence or an earlier sentence). Use of an indefinite article implies that the speaker assumes the listener does not have to be told the identity of the referent. (Click here for more on definite and indefinite articles in English).

    Conversación

    Read the conversation between Marco and Profesora Rivera again. Then answer the questions below.

    Marco: Hola, buenos días, Profesora. Me llamo Marco Reyes. Soy un nuevo estudiante en la universidad.
    Profesora Rivera: Bienvenido a la universidad. Me llamo Graciela Rivera, encantada.
    Marco: Igualmente. ¿Cómo está usted?
    Prof. Rivera: Bien, gracias. ¿y tú?
    Marco: Más o menos, gracias. Tengo una pregunta: ¿Hay espacio en su clase de español?
    Prof. Rivera: Bueno, hay treinta y cinco estudiantes y solamente hay treinta y cinco pupitres.
    Marco: Perdón, pero ¿no hay espacio para un pupitre más?
    Prof. Rivera: Vamos a ver. El salón de clase es muy grande. Hablo con los profesores de español para ver si hay un pupitre en otro salón de clase.
    Marco: Muchas gracias, Profesora Rivera. ¿También, hay un libro para la clase?
    Prof. Rivera: Sí, el libro se llama “¡Hola! Spanish 1”. También necesitas un diccionario, un cuaderno, un lápiz y unas carpetas para los papeles.
    Marco: OK, ¿necesito una computadora en clase?
    Prof. Rivera: No, no hay computadoras en mi clase.
    Marco: Entiendo, muchas gracias Profesora. ¿Hay tarea para la clase el martes?
    Prof. Rivera: Sí, por favor, lee las primeras treinta páginas del libro.
    Marco: Necesito el libro. Voy a la librería ahora. ¡Adiós!
    Prof. Rivera: Nos vemos el martes.

    Preguntas de análisis:

    Actividad \(\PageIndex{A}\)

    Preguntas de análisis:

      1. Circle the definite articles and underline indefinite articles in the text.
      2. Which article comes after hay? What if the noun is singular or plural?
      3. Following the information above, write the definite and indefinite articles that correspond to the following nouns:
    Definite article Indefinite article Noun
        facultad
        mochilas
        mapas
        profesor

    Contributors and Attributions

    • En contexto: Artu00edculos indefinidos y definidos / Hay. Authored by: SUNY Oneonta with Lumen Learning. Provided by: SUNY Oneonta. License: Public Domain: No Known Copyright. License Terms: Lumen Learning authored content

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