why is it "el agua"

Question

In lesson 1.3 the flashcard says "el agua", isn't agua feminine?

Answer 1

I 'd like to add that the "el" in this case is not the masculine article, but it's the old demonstrative pronoun "ela" without the "a".

This is information that I hadn't heard before and it made me curious. So, I did a bit of research. It is actually the old form of the feminine singular definite article.

Antiguamente el artículo femenino de singular era ela. Díjose, pues, ela agua, ela águila, ela arena; i confundiéndose la a final del artículo con la a inicial del sustantivo, se pasó a decir i escribir el agua, el águila, el arena. De aquí proviene que usamos al parecer el artículo masculino de singular ántes de sustantivos femeninos que principian por a. Hoi no es costumbre poner el por la, sino cuando la a inicial del sustantivo que inmediatamente sigue, es acentuada: el agua, el águila, el alma, el hambre, el arpa. Cuando se habla de la letra a se dice arbitrariamente el a, i la a.

• Bello, D. Andres, Gramática de la Lengua Castellana Destinada al Uso de los Americanos, 4ª Edición, 1857, Valparaíso.

You'll notice also, since this is a rather old text, that the letter "y", such as in the words "y" and "hoy", did not get used, but rather the letter "i" ("i" and "hoi"). This, I also did not know.

Hey, Gintar, thanks for the research! Live and learn ... ;) - territurtle, Jul 25, 2011

Good bit of knowledge Thanks Gintar - pacofinkler, Jul 25, 2011

Answer 2

Yes - "agua" is feminine. If you click on answers and type "agua" in search box you will find plenty of threads with this question...

Example

Answer 3

I 'd like to add that the "el" in this case is not the masculine article, but it' s the old demonstrative pronoun "ela" without the "a".

Are you sure? It certainly is not used in the role of a demontrative pronoun in any of the cases mentioned?? but rather as a definite article..... - Janice, Nov 16, 2009

Answer 4

A thorough answer can be found by clicking here

Please see my PM. - gintar77, Jul 25, 2011

Answer 5

¡Guau! ¡Qué screenshot! - webdunce, Jul 25, 2011

Answer 6

Agua is feminine. You say el agua but las aguas. The el is there because it is difficult to say La agua so la is changed to el. It is done to avoid a forced sound, (cacophony).

el agua

la misma agua.

Answer 7

No, "agua" isn't femenine, it's masculine. That's why it's "el agua" - Most of times words ended in "a" are femenine. "Agua" is one of the exceptions.

Sorry but you are incorrect. - Eddy, Oct 20, 2009

Yep. So sorry, but Eddy is right. - territurtle, Jul 25, 2011