A1 · Prepositions
Al y del
Spanish contracts in exactly two places, and both are obligatory rather than optional. English can choose between it is and it's; Spanish cannot choose between de el and del. Knowing how narrow the rule is matters as much as the rule itself, because learners routinely invent contractions the language does not have.
The two, and only two
The preposition a or de meets the masculine singular article el and merges with it. Nothing else in the language contracts: not a la, not de los, not con el.
| + el | + la | + los | + las | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a | al | a la | a los | a las |
| de | del | de la | de los | de las |
| en | en el | en la | en los | en las |
| con | con el | con la | con los | con las |
Why it happens at all
Speakers do not naturally pause between two identical vowel sounds. De el and a el both collapse in speech, and Spanish spelling simply admits it. That also explains why the contraction is compulsory: writing de el would ask you to say something nobody says.
- Van al bosque.They go to the forest.
- El agua del río está fría.The river water is cold.
- Volvemos del trabajo a las seis.We come back from work at six.
When it does not happen
Two cases block the contraction. If el is part of a name, it keeps its capital letter and stays separate. And if the el is really él, the pronoun with an accent, there is nothing to contract.
- Vamos a El Salvador.We are going to El Salvador. · proper name
- Leí un artículo de El Comercio.I read an article from El Comercio. · newspaper title
- Este libro es de él.This book is his. · él, the pronoun
- Se lo di a él.I gave it to him.
Where you will meet it constantly
Because a and de are the two busiest prepositions in Spanish, these contractions turn up in most sentences you read. A marks destinations and people who receive things; de marks origin, possession and material.
- Destination: voy al mercado
- Time: a las ocho de la mañana
- Possession: el perro del vecino
- Origin: soy del norte
- Material: una mesa de madera, la puerta del cuarto
- Superlative: el mejor café del barrio
Examples
- Van al bosque.They go to the forest.
- El agua del río está fría.The river water is cold.
- Vamos a la playa.We go to the beach.
Mistakes to avoid
Vengo de el trabajo.
Vengo del trabajo.
The contraction is compulsory, not a style choice.
Voy al la tienda.
Voy a la tienda.
Only el contracts. La never does.
Es la casa del ella.
Es la casa de ella.
Ella is a pronoun, and pronouns do not contract.
Vamos al Salvador.
Vamos a El Salvador.
El is part of the country's name.
Watch out
No contraction before a name: Vamos a El Salvador.
Try it
Volvemos ___ trabajo a las seis.
Voy ___ escuela todos los días.
Este regalo es ___ él.
Es el mejor restaurante ___ barrio.
Mi tío vive en ___ Salvador.
Salimos ___ cine a las diez.