de la, de or del ? Playa de la Roca Grande

Question

If the name of a beach was "Big Rock Beach" - How would that be said in Spanish?

My guess was "Playa De La Roca Grande".

But I thought it also might be "Playa De Roca Grande".

Or maybe even: "Playa Del Roca Grande".

I didn't think it was the third option - the one with "Del" because Roca is feminine. However, I thought Carmen was feminine, however, "Playa Del Carmen" translates to "Carmen Beach".

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

Thanks for filling out your profile. That's worth a vote. - AnnRon, Jun 21, 2017

Welcome to SpanishDict, Alihoopla. - rac1, Jun 21, 2017

Answer 1

Playa De La Roca Grande is correct because Roca is feminine. Playa Del Carmen is correct because Carmen is a unisex name.

Here are more links explaining del & de la:

• "Del" Or "De" Usage
• Why use De la instead of Del
• What does the contractions del and de la mean?

Nkm1974 - Thanks so much! - alihoopla, Jun 21, 2017

Answer 2

With names you translate a little differently. Without going into all the rules for this, Just follow this template.

"La playa Big Rock." or even "Playa Peñasco" (or any of the other words for Rock.)

We usually leave names in their original languages. For example near where I live there is a town called "Big Bear City" Which we transform to "Ciudad Big Bear" --not Oso Grande.

If you would look at a map of California or Arizona or New Mexico, you would find names of cities in Spanish--not translated into English.

Daniela2041 - Thank you! - alihoopla, Jun 21, 2017

Answer 3

Incredibly interesting question.
Carmen is a woman. You are right but it's Playa del Carmen. Well, this reminds me of the very common female name María del Carmen. Nobody that I know is called María de la Carmen. Lol.

More to ponder! Thanks polenta1! :) - alihoopla, Jun 22, 2017