Declension

Usage notes

• Before feminine nouns beginning with stressed /ˈa/ like alca, the singular definite article takes the form of el (otherwise reserved for masculine nouns) instead of the usual la: el alcaCategory:Spanish usage examples with omitted translation#ALCA. This includes the contracted forms al and del (instead of a la and de la, respectively): al alca, del alcaCategory:Spanish usage examples with omitted translation#ALCA.

This also applies to the indefinite article, which takes the form of un, which is otherwise used with masculine nouns (although the standard feminine form una also occurs): un alcaCategory:Spanish usage examples with omitted translation#ALCA or una alcaCategory:Spanish usage examples with omitted translation#ALCA. The same is true with determiners algún/alguna and ningún/ninguna, as well as for numerals ending with 1 (e.g., veintiún/veintiuna).

However, if another word intervenes between the article and the noun, the usual feminine singular articles and determiners (la, una etc.) are used: la mejor alcaCategory:Spanish usage examples with omitted translation#ALCA, una buena alcaCategory:Spanish usage examples with omitted translation#ALCA.

• In these cases, el and un are not masculine but feminine, deriving from Latin illa and una, respectively, even though they are identical in form to the corresponding masculine singular articles. Thus, they are allomorphs of the feminine singular articles la and una.
• The use of these allomorphs does not change the gender agreement of the adjectives modifying the feminine noun: el alca únicaCategory:Spanish usage examples with omitted translation#ALCA, un(a) alca buenaCategory:Spanish usage examples with omitted translation#ALCA.
• In the plural, the usual feminine plural articles and determiners (las, unas, etc.) are always used.

Derived terms