la (sense apostrofació)

Feminine Article Without Elision Before Unstressed I/u

Level 3

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.

Check both gender and stress. La història and la humitat are feminine words with unstressed initial i/u after silent h, so the article stays la. L'illa and l'ungla begin with stressed i/u and normally elide. Masculine nouns do not share this feminine unstressed-vowel exception: l'institut.

The rule belongs to the article, not every word before the noun. De can still elide before the same initial vowel: d'història. A demonstrative such as aquesta has its own form and does not receive an apostrophe because the noun starts with a vowel. Keep agreement visible on any following adjective.

Examples (3)

  1. La universitat és pública.

    The university is public.

  2. La humitat és alta.

    The humidity is high.

  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 (sense apostrofació)Level 3Feminine Article Without Elision Before Unstressed I/u

Learn This First

Apply the exception within a larger elision system.

Words in This Pattern