When new students of Spanish see el and él, many may think that these words are the same and mean the same thing. However, this is far from the truth. Although they sound very similar, the and He do not mean the same thing, so you will use them in very different situations.
What is the difference between "el" and "él" in Spanish? The accentless means "the" and always precedes a singular masculine adjective, adverb, or noun. He accented is the direct translation of "he" or "his of him" from him. He is a pronoun, so it does not precede a noun but rather replaces it.
At first glance, the only difference between these words is the presence of an accent. However, as mentioned above, the and the are completely different. These words are basic and very common in Spanish. In fact, we use them all the time. Therefore, you need to understand when and how to use them.
In this article, we discuss the differences between these words and the contexts in which you might use them, and we provide examples and structures to help you use these words in Spanish. I hope that at the end of this text you can decide when to use el or él in Spanish.
What is the difference between el and él in Spanish?
in the case of He vs. He, accents are important. In Spanish, the presence or absence of an accent not only indicates a different pronunciation, but also marks a difference in meaning between two words. He and he may look and even sound the same, but make no mistake, these words are completely different.
Grammatically, the (unstressed) is denoted as a definite article, while he (stressed) is denoted as a personal pronoun. This means that el is a word that precedes a masculine singular noun. This is the Spanish translation of "o".
Juan is the Spanish teacher
Juan is the Spanish teacher
The hospital is two blocks away.
The hospital is two blocks away.
Unlike accented he, 'el' can also come before an adjective or adverb.
I would like the cheapest please
I would like the cheapest please
Carlos brought us Mexican sweets, I want the picosito
Carlos brought us some Mexican sweets, I want spicy sweets
He has an accent when it functions as a masculine personal pronoun for the third person singular. In this case, "he" means "he". As already noted, unlike "el", he does not precede a noun.
he was a mexico on saturday
He went to Mexico on Saturday,
Ricardo told me that he would not come
Ricardo told me that he would not come
In Spanish we also use 'él' accentuated as a synonym for 'él'.
Tell your brother this package is for him.
Tell your brother this package is for him.
Don't worry, Gabriela will go with him.
Don't worry, Gabriela will go with you.
In the sections that follow, we provide more examples and structures to help you identify when to use the or the .
"El" as a definite article in Spanish - "The"
As mentioned above, el and El can be easily confused by new and experienced Spanish speakers. And while these words can be together in a sentence, they are not interchangeable as they have different meanings. Here are situations in which you should use the in Spanish. Remember that these meanings and uses only apply to this word and cannot be applied to it.
Using "el" before a masculine singular
The semaccent is a Spanish article that always precedes a singular masculine noun. This is one of the main differences between the and the. In this case, "the" is translated as "the". Here are some structures that will help you understand how "el" is used in this context:
o +
The boy in blue gave me this for you
The boy in blue brought you this
Linda and Rocío want to know the Amazon
Linda and Rocío want to know the Amazon
Claudia told me that the plane to Peru is dirty, the plane leaves tomorrow at 8 for Peru.
In Spanish we also use the before the days of the week. In this case, el means "one".
I have an appointment with the doctor on Friday.
I have an appointment with the doctor on Friday
At some point during your Spanish study, you will hear that "el" is used without an accent in situations where you would not use "le". In Spanish, however, the rule remains the same: we use "el" before a masculine singular noun.
Barcelona is my brother's favorite club Barcelona is my brother's favorite team
80% of my friends speak another language 80% of my friends speak other language
One way of thinking is that there is only one Barcelona, defined and unique. Although we do not say it in English, it is the only Barcelona. With "80%..." we are talking about a single group that defines this proportion of 80% of students. 80% are different from the other 20%.
Use of "el" before adjectives and adverbs
Although many new students of Spanish focus on using the before a noun, this article can also be used before adjectives. It doesn't work with him.
o +
It's the worst day of my visa
this is the worst day of my life
don't wear the red sweater, the black one belongs to Patty
No, take the red suit, the black suit belongs to Paty.
In the previous examples you can see that the adjectives (peor, negro) describe singular and masculine nouns. This agreement in gender and number is also required when placing the before an adverb.
When working with adverbs, you should keep in mind that 'the' cannot work with any adverb. In fact, you can only use it with the adverbs bad, less, which in this case cannot be directly translated into English. Also, your sentence must also have an adjective. This is the structure you should use in this context.
o + +
Did you bring four chocolates? I want the biggest
Did you bring chocolate? I want the biggest one
Carlos is the slowest on the team
Carlos is the slowest on the team
He as a personal pronoun - "he", "he"
So far, we have learned that El Sans Accent is an article in Spanish that works with a masculine singular noun. But when he has an accent, we no longer talk about articles. We are talking about a personal pronoun. So in this case, he means he or he, depending on which grammatical structures you use.
he told me he would not come
he told me he would not come
Yesterday I saw Carla and Hugo, she is still angry with him.
Yesterday I saw Carla and Hugo, she is still angry with him.
As you know, the purpose of pronouns is to replace a word. In the above examples, he represents a male person. However, in Spanish it is also very common to use he to replace an animal, as long as we know that it is a male.
Your dog Moi bit me, I don't want to get too close to him.
Your dog bit me, I don't want to get too close to him.
In previous sections, we mentioned that it is very common for him and him to work together on a sentence. Remember that as said, he replaces a masculine. Here are some examples:
My boyfriend's father and sister are traveling, he is in Paris and she is in Buenos Aires.
My boyfriend's father and sister are traveling, he is in Paris and she is in Buenos Aires.
Ana's friend told me that she likes to travel more by boat
Diploma
In Spanish there are words whose meaning and use can be affected by the presence or absence of an accent, such as el vs él. As we learned in this article, the is called the definite article in Spanish. This means that it always precedes another word: a masculine singular noun. In this case, it is translated "the".
The boy comes with chocolate.
el niño come chocolate
We also learned that 'el' can also come before an adjective or adverb.,
The black pencil is Maria's, the white one is yours
The black pencil is Maria's, the white one is yours
Carlos is the fastest on the swim team.
Carlos is the fastest on the swim team.
The accented is a personal pronoun for the third person singular. "He" replaces a masculine given name or person. Depending on the structure, this Spanish personal pronoun can be translated as er or ele.,
For him, the best way to learn Spanish is by practicing
for him, the best way to learn Spanish is by practicing
Now you know that el and el are not the same in Spanish and I hope you are ready to use them in your conversations with more confidence.
Related questions
What is the difference between el and la in Spanish? El and la are definite articles in Spanish. El precedes a masculine singular noun, while la functions with feminine singular nouns. Two of them are called. translated,
The blue car belongs to Paco.
The BLUE CAR belongs to Paco
the table is dirty
the table is dirty