Article Contractions al and del

Kurz erklärt

In Spanish, the prepositions a and de combine with the masculine singular article el. Use al for a + el and del for de + el. These contractions are required, not optional. They often appear when talking about going to a place, coming from a place, or describing a connection between two things.

Bildung

a + el = al; de + el = del

Verwendung

• Use al before a masculine singular noun when a and el would otherwise meet.
• Use del before a masculine singular noun when de and el would otherwise meet.
• Do not contract a or de with él, the pronoun meaning ‘him’ or ‘he’.

Beispiele

• Voy al mercado. — I am going to the market.
• Llegamos al hotel a las ocho. — We arrive at the hotel at eight.
• La puerta del baño está cerrada. — The bathroom door is closed.
• Este regalo es de él. — This gift is from him.

Typischer Fehler

❌ Voy a el mercado.

✅ Voy al mercado.

Unlike English, Spanish requires a and el to combine as al.

Merke

When a or de meets the article el, contract it: al or del. The accented pronoun él stays separate.