Elision of the Definite Article
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.
Apply elision inside a larger phrase as well as directly after a verb: veig l'amic, parlo amb l'amiga. It changes only the article, not the noun's gender or its agreement with an adjective. Compare l'estudiant català and l'estudiant catalana.
The plural always restores a full article: els estudiants, les estudiants. Feminine la stays before unstressed initial i/u, as in la universitat, and both articles remain before consonantal i/u, as in el iogurt. Before an elided article, a/de/per remain separate; do not combine contraction and elision into a form such as al'amic.
Examples (3)
- L'aigua és freda.
The water is cold.
- L'estudiant arriba aviat.
The student arrives soon.
- La universitat és al centre.
The university is in the center.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Recognize the feminine unstressed i/u exception.
Related Patterns
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Elision of the Definite Article in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Catalan lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
