El + infinitive
Please add to the section on the article "el" an explanation of how it can be used with an infinitive to communicate what in English would be a noun.
Ex: El hablar español es muy importante.
Speaking (The speaking of) Spanish is very important.
El correr es un deporte difícil.
Running is a difficult sport (or: The sport of running is difficult.)
Also, when "el" is combined with "a" to create "al" and is placed in front of an infinitive, it translates as "at... or upon..."
Ex: Al salir de la casa, mi mamá se cayó en el hielo. Upon leaving the house, my mom fell down on the ice.
Al llegar al cine descubrieron que había cerrado. Upon arrival/arriving at the theatre, they discovered that it had closed.
MUCHAS GRACIAS!!!
3 Answers
If one were to discuss this topic, it would probably not be part of a discussion of (the definite article) "el". Definite articles introduce nouns (in Spanish as in English).
How one constructs a noun from a verb (by using the infinitive in Spanish and by using either the infinitive or a gerund in English) has nothing to do with the relationship between articles and nouns.
Is this a question about how English uses gerunds - verb + ing (nouns) whereas Spanish would use the infinitive?
the question?
