Definite article elision

Level 3

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.

Elision applies to the word immediately after the article, including an adjective: l'antic hospital. Check the sound and stress of that word rather than looking ahead to the noun. La universitat stays unelided because of feminine unstressed initial u, even though a later adjective might begin differently.

The apostrophe does not erase gender: l'antic edifici is masculine, while l'antiga escola is feminine. Keep the correct adjective form and plural article when the phrase expands. A/de/per must not contract with an article that is already l': de l'antic hospital, not del antic hospital in that intended elided construction.

Examples (3)

  1. L'antiga escola és al centre.

    The old school is in the center.

  2. He vist l'home que buscaves.

    I have seen the man you were looking for.

  3. La història del poble és llarga.

    The village’s history is long.

How It Connects

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Definite article elisionLevel 3

Learn This First

Apply the article-elision rule to the immediately following word.

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Words in This Pattern