a la, de la, per la

No Contraction Before La

Level 1

A, de and per stay apart before la and las, and la drops its vowel before a vowel.

How It Works

The joined forms al, del and pel are only for lo. Before la and las, the two words stay apart.

With laWith lasBefore a vowel
a la plaçaa las plaçasa l'escòla
de la cosinade las cosinasde l'amiga
per la carrièraper las carrièrasper l'escòla

Al means a + lo and nothing else, so it never goes before a feminine noun. Write Vau a la plaça, not Vau al plaça.

Before a vowel, the article is l' for both genders, and the preposition stays apart: a l'ostal (masculine), a l'escòla (feminine).

Examples (5)

  1. Vau a la plaça.

    I go to the square.

    A la plaça: a and la stay apart.

  2. La pòrta de la cosina es blava.

    The kitchen door is blue.

    De la cosina: de and la stay apart.

  3. Passam per la carrièra.

    We go along the street.

    Per la carrièra: per and la stay apart.

  4. Soi a l'escòla.

    I am at school.

    A l'escòla: la becomes l' before a vowel.

  5. Aquò es per l'amiga de Maria.

    This is for Maria's friend.

    Per l'amiga: per and l' stay apart.

Common Mistakes

  • Using al before a feminine noun

    Vau al plaça.
    Vau a la plaça.

    Al is only a + lo. Plaça is feminine, so use a la.

  • Keeping la before a vowel

    Soi a la escòla.
    Soi a l'escòla.

    Before a vowel, la becomes l'.

How It Connects

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

a la, de la, per laLevel 1No Contraction Before La

Learn This First

Before la the prepositions stay apart and la can drop its vowel, so the three contractions and the elision of the article come first.

Words in This Pattern

adeperla