''Las aves'' or ''Los aves''

Question

Don't it have to be ''los aves''?

by the way-- "don't" should be "doesn't" - lynsaysands, Apr 13, 2011

Answer 1

ave is a feminine noun that takes el in the singular for pronunciation reasons: el ave (because the noun itself begins with a vowel). in the plural, you have the normal rule: las aves.

Answer 2

Ave is a feminine noun beginning with a stressed a sound. This group of nouns uses el instead of la in the singular to avoid the a sounds running together. This is not a problem in the plural. Hence, el ave, las aves. El hacha, las hachas.

¿Está bien?

J