El, Del, A la, Al / What's the difference?

Question

I've been teaching myself Spanish, and I am having a hard time remembering when to use: del, el, a la, and al. Can anyone explain why there are these four different phrases and how to use them properly? Thanks!

Answer 1

Masc. Constructions

el. Always the masc. definite article 'the'.

Me gusta el color ~ I like the color.

del = De + el. Often, but not always, 'of the' (in case of an accompanying masc. noun)

Palabra del dia ~ Word of the day.

al = a + el. Often, but not always, 'to the'/'at the' (in case of an accompanying masc. noun)

Voy al estadio para ver el partido ~ I go to the stadium to watch the match.

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Fem. Constructions

la. Always the fem. definite article 'the'.

La mujer es muy bonita ~ The woman is very pretty.

de la = de + la. Often, but not always, 'of the' (in case of an accompanying fem. noun)

Son las tres de la tarde ~ It is 3 PM (lit. It is 3 of the afternoon.)

a la = a + la. Often, but not always, 'to the'/'at the' (in case of an accompanying fem. noun)

Vas a la estación todos los días. ~ You go to the station every day.

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In speaking, you won't have a problem. del comes naturally, and 'ael' is so hard to pronounce that you will naturally use 'al' :p

Also, contractions don't occur in case of los and las, so 'de los', 'a las' etc.

Thank you so much! This really helps. You're awesome! - Ghosthawk, Feb 6, 2014