Using La and El versus Mi and Tu
Take the sentence, for example, "Dame la mano".
Now, I understand that it translates to "Give me your hand" in English, but my question is:
Why wouldn't using "tu" in that sentence be correct? You'd think it would be (at least I would), considering the fact that you're asking for their hand, not the hand. Am I making sense at all?
Another example could be shown through the statement "Estoy lavando la cabeza" - I am washing my head.
Again, I don't have a clear understanding of why I would use "la" instead of "mi" in this sentence. Because it is my head that I am washing, right?
If anyone could help me with why we use "la" or "el" instead of "mi" and "tu" in certain (or most?) instances.
1 Answer
It is simply that body parts are not yours, they are just body parts. The head=your head in English, The hands are your hands and so on, that is just the way it is. Become accustomed to the fact that all things are not translatable but rather interpreted.
