Putting words together
Choosing el, la, un, or una
Articles and determiners
Choose a determiner matching the noun and the intended reference.
The pattern
- Definite: el, la, los, las. Indefinite: un, una, unos, unas.
- A specific weekday commonly takes el; recurring weekdays take los.
Nos vemos el martes.
See you on Tuesday.
Why it works: El martes refers to a particular Tuesday.
Notice the difference
Nos vemos los martes.
We see each other on Tuesdays.
Why it works: Los martes expresses a recurring routine.
One thing to watch for
English uses “on Tuesday,” but Spanish normally uses el martes, without en. For “Today is Tuesday,” say Hoy es martes without an article.