LESSON II.
(Lección segunda.)
THE ARTICLE (contd.).
The definite article El is contracted with the preposition de (of or from) into =Del= and with the preposition A, into al as—
Del extranjero: Of or from the foreigner.
Al caballero español: To the Spanish gentleman.
These are the only contractions that occur in Spanish; with the other prepositions the article simply follows, as—
By, for, with, in, on, without, behind, the father:
Por, Para, Con, En, Sobre, Sin, Tras, el padre.
The following are the principal cases in which the definite article is used in Spanish and not in English—
1. Before nouns taken in a general sense, as—
El oro y la plata: Gold and silver.
Los hombres ó las mujeres: Men or women.
2. Before titles denoting dignity and profession,[13] as—