Question

PLEASE HELP! 40 points for it!

write the definite artcle (el, la, los, las). if both masculine and feminine articles are possible, write both.

___ joven
___ maletas
___ problemas
___ mujer

Answer 1

• Answer:

`\boxed{\begin{aligned} & \sf A. \ \underline{\sf La} \ \sf joven \ \ or \ \ \underline{\sf El} \ \sf joven \\& \sf B. \ \sf \underline{Las} \ \sf maletas \\& \sf C. \ \underline{\sf Los} \ \sf problemas \\& \sf D. \ \underline{\sf La} \ \sf mujer \end{aligned}}`

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• Explanation:

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Definite articles

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A definite article is used to specify a particular noun as something that is already known or previously mentioned within the context of a conversation.

In Spanish, nouns have gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural). The definite articles "el," "la," "los," and "las" are used to indicate the gender and number of the noun they are paired with.

Here is a table that should help us understand how they work:

`\boxed{\begin{array}c\underline{\textsf{ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \: \:} }& \underline{\textsf{ Masculine } } & \underline{\textsf{ Feminine } } \\ \\ \sf Singular & \sf el & \sf la \\ \underline{ \: \: \: \: \: \: \: \: \: \: \: \: \: \: }& \underline{ \: \: \: \: \: \: \: \: \: \: \: \: \: \: \: \: \: \: \: \: \: } & \underline{ \: \: \: \: \: \: \: \: \: \: \: \: \: \: \: \: \: \: } \\ \\ \sf Plural & \sf los & \sf las \\\end{array}}`

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In English, all the definite articles would translate to "the."

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A. "Joven" is a noun that can be either masculine or feminine, depending on who we are referring to. Here, it is written in singular form, so we can use "el" or "la."

La joven or El joven

Translation: The young woman or the young woman

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B. As many other words ending with "as," "maletas" is the plural form of a feminine noun: "maleta," which means "suitcase".

Therefore, the appropriate definite article here is "las."

Las maletas

Translation: The suitcases

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C. "Problema" is a rare case of a masculine noun ending with an "a," and it is in plural form here, as "problemas" ends with an "s". The correct definite article to use is "los".

Los problemas

Translation: The problems

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D. Finally, "mujer" translates to "woman," so it's a singular and feminine noun. We will therefore use "la."

La mujer

Translation: The woman