la (davant i o u àtones)

Feminine Article Before Unstressed I or U

Level 1

Keep feminine la before unstressed initial i or u, even after silent h.

How It Works

The exception concerns feminine la and the stress of the word's initial vowel. Write la universitat, la història and la humanitat, but l'illa and l'ungla because their initial vowels are stressed.

Masculine el normally elides before a vowel regardless of stress: l'univers and l'historiador. Consonantal i/u is a separate exception affecting both genders, as in el iogurt and la iaia.

A preposition does not erase the article's rule: a la universitat and de la història retain la. Bare de, however, can elide in d'història. Identify which word owns the apostrophe before applying the rule.

Examples (3)

  1. La universitat és al centre.

    The university is downtown.

  2. Estudio la història del poble.

    I study the history of the town.

  3. L'illa és petita.

    The island is small.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

la (davant i o u àtones)Level 1Feminine Article Before Unstressed I or U

Learn This First

Know the usual singular article-elision rule. Distinguish stressed from unstressed initial vowels.

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Words in This Pattern