Place Names With the Article
The article is part of names such as A Coruña, O Porriño and A Estrada. After a preposition it contracts and loses its capital: na Coruña (in A Coruña), do Porriño (from O Porriño).
How It Works
The article belongs to the name: official Galician place names such as A Coruña, O Porriño, A Estrada, O Carballiño and A Laracha begin with an article. On its own, the name keeps a capital article: A Coruña ten unha torre romana (A Coruña has a Roman tower).
Contraction is required: when a preposition comes before the name, it joins the article, just as with do and da, no and na and ao and á: Vivo na Coruña (I live in A Coruña), Son do Porriño (I am from O Porriño), Imos á Estrada (We are going to A Estrada), Pasamos polo Carballiño (We went through O Carballiño).
Lowercase after contraction: write the contracted form in lowercase: na Coruña, do Porriño. The same happens inside longer names: Universidade da Coruña.
Official forms: the Galician form of a Galician place name is the official one, article included. See official place names.
Countries: most country names take no article: España, Portugal, Francia, Alemaña. A few are used with a lowercase article: o Brasil, o Perú, o Xapón, a China, a India, a Arxentina, os Estados Unidos. They contract in the same way: Vive no Brasil (She lives in Brazil), Veño da India (I come from India).
Titles work differently: the article at the start of a book or newspaper title follows its own rules. See contractions with titles.
Examples (6)
- Vivo na Coruña.
I live in A Coruña.
Word by Word: Live-I in-the Coruña.
en + A = na, written in lowercase.
- Son do Porriño.
I am from O Porriño.
Word by Word: Am-I of-the Porriño.
de + O = do.
- Este verán imos á Estrada.
This summer we are going to A Estrada.
Word by Word: This summer go-we to-the Estrada.
a + A = á.
- Chegamos ao Carballiño ás seis.
We arrived in O Carballiño at six.
Word by Word: Arrived-we to-the Carballiño at-the six.
a + O = ao.
- A Coruña ten unha torre romana moi famosa.
A Coruña has a very famous Roman tower.
Word by Word: The Coruña has a tower Roman very famous.
With no preposition before it, the article keeps its capital.
- A miña curmá vive no Brasil.
My cousin lives in Brazil.
Word by Word: The my cousin lives in-the Brazil.
Brasil is used with a lowercase article.
Common Mistakes
Leaving the preposition and the place-name article apart.
Vivo en A Coruña.Vivo na Coruña.The article of a place name contracts with the preposition like any other article, and the contraction is written in lowercase.
Writing de before a capitalised article.
Son de O Porriño.Son do Porriño.De + O must become do. Only the contracted form is correct.
Dropping the article that Brasil takes in Galician.
A miña curmá vive en Brasil.A miña curmá vive no Brasil.In Galician, Brasil is used with the article o, so en + o becomes no.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Articles belonging to place names undergo ordinary prepositional contractions.
Related Patterns
Practice Place Names With the Article in Bubblegum
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