A1 · Prepositions
al and del — the only two contractions
a plus el becomes al, de plus el becomes del — and nothing else.
Spanish runs a preposition and an article together in only two places: a + el = al and de + el = del. Everything else stays apart — a la, de la, en el, con el.
The contraction is not an option but a duty: Voy a el cine is wrong, it is Voy al cine. English has no contraction here at all, so there is nothing to transfer and nothing to resist — only a rule to keep.
There is one exception: before a proper name that carries the article in the name itself, the two stay apart — Vengo de El Cairo.
Die Form
| a + el | al médico, al final |
| de + el | del coche, del año pasado |
| not contracted | a la, de la, a los, de las |
| other prepositions | en el, con el, por el |
| proper name | de El Salvador |
| before an infinitive | al llegar |
Die Regeln im Einzelnen
a + el always becomes al.
Vamos al mercado.We are going to the market.
de + el always becomes del.
Es el coche del vecino.That is the neighbour's car.
Nothing contracts with la, los and las.
Voy a la playa.I am going to the beach.
al plus infinitive is «on» or «when».
Al salir, cierra la puerta.Shut the door on your way out.
Woran man es erkennt
- al
- del
- al llegar
- al final
- del todo
Beispielsätze
Llegamos al aeropuerto tarde.We got to the airport late.
La puerta del garaje está abierta.The garage door is open.
Al terminar, avísame.Let me know when you have finished.
Vengo del trabajo.I have come from work.
Noch 6 Beispielsätze
Fuimos al médico esta mañana.We went to the doctor this morning.
El final del libro es triste.The end of the book is sad.
Al principio no entendía nada.At first I did not understand a thing.
Sal del coche, por favor.Get out of the car, please.
Volvemos al mismo sitio cada verano.We come back to the same place every summer.
Es la casa del final de la calle.It is the house at the end of the street.
Die typisch deutsche Falle
Aufgepasst
The separate form gets left standing, because English has nothing to join: Voy a el cine. In Spanish there is no choice — a el and de el are simply wrong. It is al cine and del cine.
Only a and de contract, and only with el.
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