When should I use articles before pronouns?

Question

When should I use articles before pronouns? Should I say, Men are crazy or The men are crazy. Hombres son locos o Los hombres son locos.

Answer 1

Welcome to the forum.

Los hombres son locos - Men are crazy.

Spanish uses the article a lot more than English. If you're talking about some noun in general, you use the article.

Edit: Oh, and I assume you mean nouns, not pronouns. You don't use them before pronouns (he, she, it).

Answer 2

I think you mean to ask, "When should I use articles before nouns?" "Hombres" is a noun, not a pronoun.

There is a very helpful reference thread on definite articles (el, la, los, las) here You can find many more helpful reference entries under the "more" tab at the top of the page.

Welcome to the Forum, and best wishes as you study Spanish!

Answer 3

In Spanish, unlike in English, generic subjects demand an article:

Iron is hard = El hierro es duro

Men are cruel = Los hombres son crueles