Like English, Spanish has both indefinite and definite articles. The singular forms of the indefinite articles are equivalent to “a” or “an” in English. The plural forms are equivalent to the English word “some.” The definite articles (both singular and plural) are equivalent to the English definite article “the.”

 

Indefinite Articles

Singular Masculine                                        

un número (a number)

un hotel (a hotel)

 

Plural Masculine

unos números (some numbers)

unos hoteles (some hotels)

 

Singular Feminine                                          

una dirección (a direction)

una calle (a street)

 

Plural Feminine

unas direcciones (some directions)

unas calles (some streets)

 

 

Definite Articles

Singular Masculine                                        

el número (the number)

el hotel (the hotel)

 

Plural Masculine

los numeros (the number)

los hoteles (the hotels)

 

Singular Feminine                                          

la dirección (the direction)

la calle (the street)

 

Plural Feminine

las direcciones (the directions)

las calles (the streets)

 

Note that you need to include the definite article when using a title to speak about yourself or someone else. When addressing someone directly using a title, you need to do the opposite and omit the definite article. If you were a man whose surname was Smith, you would introduce yourself by saying, “Soy el señor Smith.” (I am Mr. Smith.) However, if “Mr. Smith” was a person you were speaking to directly, you would drop the definite article el and simply refer to him as “señor Smith.”