What is the difference between definate and indefinate articles?

Question

For example, in what instances is it correct to use el/la and un/una?

Definite, as in de + finite. - lazarus1907, Jul 3, 2011

Answer 1

Think:

Same way it differenciates using "the" as opposed to "a"

the chair

a chair

Answer 2

definite articles

indefinite articles

differences

This really helped. Thank You - BriBri2391, Jul 3, 2011

Answer 3

In English, Spanish, and Greek... probably most other languages, it works the same.

The definite article is when you are speaking about a certain something.

The pen. (A certain pen. The pen right there. You know which pen I mean.)

The house (A certain house. The house we are talking about.)

The boy

The is the definite article in English.

If it's not a certain pen, but any old pen will do, it becomes indefinite.

Take a pen and write your name. (Any pen, just do it.)

I painted a house. (Some house, somewhere)

It works the same in español.

Answer 4

In English, Spanish, and Greek... probably most other languages, it works the same.

I don't have figures to back this up, but my guess is that most languages do not have articles! To name a few, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Hindi, Indonesian, Korean, Turkish, Serbo-Croatian... These languages alone account for nearly 40% of the population of the world.

And then there are the Semitic languages, Hebrew and Arabic, which have only the definite article. Otherwise the noun is assumed to be indefinite. - MJ, Jul 3, 2011

Answer 5

Definite article is the person or thing that receives the action of the verb:

Example: I throw the ball - Tiro la pelota

It is the ball that's being thrown.

-

Indefinite article is where the person or thing the direct article is going to:

Example: I throw the ball to John - Le tiro la pelota a Juan

The ball is going to John

No, sorry. You've confused the definite indefinite article with the direct / indirect object. Those are not the same, and your answer is wrong. - Goyo, Jul 3, 2011