Which definite article (el, la, las, los)? 1

El / la / los / las — the four forms — El (masc. sing.), la (fem. sing.), los (masc. pl.), las (fem. pl.). These agree with the gender and number of the noun they precede: el libro, la mesa, los chicos, las flores. The article is your most reliable gender signal.

Definite article for general statements — Spanish uses the definite article for general or abstract statements where English uses no article: Me gusta el café. Los perros son leales. La vida es bella. This is one of the biggest article differences between English and Spanish, and forgetting the article in these contexts is extremely common.

El before stressed á- in feminine nouns — Feminine nouns beginning with a stressed a- or ha- use el in the singular to avoid the vowel clash: el agua, el arma, el hacha, el alma. These nouns are still feminine — adjectives must agree in the feminine: el agua fría. The plural uses las normally.