Articles (el/la) in lists

Question

How do you use articles (el/la/los/las) in lists?

I've been trying to figure out how to use "the"/"a" articles when you're listing nouns, but "list" is such a common term that whenever I try to search for it I get unrelated articles. Can anyone offer any guidance on how to use articles in lists?

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These are some specific questions I have as well...

• In general, if every item in the list is the same gender, do you use just one article (i.e., "los circulos, cuadrados, y octógonos"), or do you need to repeat the article ("los circulos, los cuadrados, y los octógonos")?

• Does formal usage differ from spoken usage?

Answer 1

I would still use the article in front of each one just to show what you are trying to say in the lists.

i dont understand your other questions.

Answer 2

Older and wiser answer to my own question, for anyone who's interested:

-Technically, the article (a / the) should be repeated before each item in a list, regardless of gender (la casa y la mesa).

-In more informal speech, if everything in the list is the same gender, you can use the article just for the first word (la casa y mesa).