Article Elision before Vowels and Silent H

Level 5

El and la usually become l’ before a vowel sound or silent h.

How It Works

Elision replaces the vowel of the singular article with an apostrophe: l'amic, l'hora. The following noun keeps its gender even though l’ looks the same for both. Plural els and les never elide.

In an edited text, audit the article and the initial sound together. Silent h behaves like a vowel opening, but the feminine unstressed i/u exception still applies after h: la humitat. The plural article stays intact in els hospitals. Capitalization does not remove an accent or cancel normal elision: l'Índia. Keep the noun's feminine or masculine agreement even when the apostrophe hides the article vowel.

Examples (3)

  1. L'hospital és a prop.

    The hospital is nearby.

  2. La humitat és elevada.

    Humidity is high.

  3. L'Índia és molt extensa.

    India is very extensive.

How It Connects

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Article Elision before Vowels and Silent HLevel 5

Learn This First

Decide whether a singular article elides before handling its regional or complex form.

Words in This Pattern