# 04. Articles

> Source: [video link](https://youtube.com/watch?v=YHDZSHCt1DE&t=983s)

Spanish has **definite** articles ("the") and **indefinite** articles ("a / an / some"). Unlike English, both kinds carry **gender** (masculine / feminine) and **number** (singular / plural), and they must agree with the noun they precede.

## Key Rules
- Most nouns ending in **-o** are masculine; most ending in **-a** are feminine.
- Definite article = "the" (specifies); indefinite article = "a/an/some" (generalizes).
- *uno* before a noun means "one" (the number). To say "a / an" use **un** (no final o): *un libro* = a book, *uno libro* = one book.
- Common exceptions: words ending in **-ma** of Greek origin (*el problema, el programa*), plus **el día** and **el agua** are masculine despite ending in -a.
- Words ending in **-e** like *clase, carne* are feminine: *la clase, la carne*.
- Words ending in **-d** (*ciudad, universidad*) and in **-ción** (*acción, canción*) are usually feminine.
- *La foto* is feminine because it's short for *la fotografía*.

## Definite Articles ("the")

|  | Masculine | Feminine |
|---|-----------|----------|
| Singular | el | la |
| Plural | los | las |

## Indefinite Articles ("a / an / some")

|  | Masculine | Feminine |
|---|-----------|----------|
| Singular | un | una |
| Plural | unos | unas |

## Examples

| Spanish | English |
|---------|---------|
| el libro | the book |
| la piscina | the pool |
| los libros | the books |
| las piscinas | the pools |
| un libro | a book |
| una piscina | a pool |
| unos libros | some books |
| unas piscinas | some pools |
| la clase | the class |
| la carne | the meat |
| la ciudad | the city |
| la universidad | the university |
| la acción | the action |
| el problema | the problem |
| el programa | the program |
| el día | the day |
| el agua | the water |
| la foto (← la fotografía) | the photo |

## Notes & Gotchas
- *un libro* (a book) ≠ *uno libro* (incorrect — would imply "one book" using a number, and you'd actually say *un libro* even for "one"; *uno* stands alone, not in front of a noun).
- *El agua* uses *el* not because it's masculine but because of a Spanish euphony rule: feminine singular nouns starting with stressed *a-* take *el* in the singular (but plural is *las aguas*). The video presents these as straightforward exceptions to memorize.
- Always learn the article *with* the noun — gender is rarely guessable from English.