Answers
Jan 18, 2011 - 02:39 PM
Unfortunately figuring out when to use articles and when not to is a tough one. There are some rules, but so many exceptions that you almost have to look at it in a case by case basis.
The good news is that most of the time articles are used as they are in English. What happens is that in Spanish we use them more than in English.
In English we would say: Mountains are beautiful.
In Spanish we would need to say: The mountains are beautiful (even if you mean mountains in general, as in all mountains in the world)
- Las montañas son bellas.
You would NEVER say: Montañas son bellas.
A good rule of thumb is that if a sentence begins with a noun, use the article.
The good news is that most of the time articles are used as they are in English. What happens is that in Spanish we use them more than in English.
In English we would say: Mountains are beautiful.
In Spanish we would need to say: The mountains are beautiful (even if you mean mountains in general, as in all mountains in the world)
- Las montañas son bellas.
You would NEVER say: Montañas son bellas.
A good rule of thumb is that if a sentence begins with a noun, use the article.