Surely "you're" familiar with "contractions" in English, or shorter words formed by combining two or more words, dropping one or more letter, and adding an apostrophe (for example, "you're" from "you are" in this sentence). But do you know about contractions in Spanish? Interestingly, while there are close to 100 contractions in English, in Spanish, there are only two (and no apostrophes are required!). Let's learn what they are and how to use them.
In short, the Spanish contraction al is used whenever the preposition a (at, to, etc.) is followed by the masculine definite article el (the). While the scenarios in which this takes place are too numerous to name, let's take a look at several of the most common ones with examples from our Yabla Spanish video library.
Al in this case is usually translated as "to the" in English.
Siempre voy al mercado cuando no tengo ingredientes.
I always go to the market when I don't have ingredients.
Caption 10, Ariana Cena especial
Play Caption
This is the equivalent of the English "at the."
Puede tomar el ascensor que está al final del pasillo a la izquierda
You can take the elevator that is at the end of the hall on the left
Caption 57, Cleer y Lida Recepción de hotel
Play Caption
Since the preposition a is an essential part of certain verbs such as acostumbrarse a (to get used to), asistir a (to attend), jugar a ("to play" something), and many more, a becomes al when a masculine definite article follows.
Los viernes, juego al fútbol con mis amigas.
On Fridays, I play soccer with my friends.
Caption 21, Ariana Mi Semana
Play Caption
As the preposition a is required prior to people who function as the objects of sentences in Spanish, a likewise becomes al in the presence of the masculine definite article.
y ya le pedí al chef que la comida fuese vegetariana
and I already asked the chef for the food to be vegetarian
Caption 55, Programación de oficina El dictado del jefe
Play Caption
In this usage, al is typically employed with the other Spanish contraction del (from the) to describe the end point of something, for example, a range.
Estos son los números del uno al cien.
These are the numbers from one to a hundred.
Caption 44, El Aula Azul Los Números del 1-100
Play Caption
This second Spanish contraction is formed by combining the preposition de (of, from, about, by, etc.) with the masculine singular definite article el when one follows another in a sentence. Let's see some of the many common situations in which you might find it.
This describes the point of origin from which something leaves.
También para cuando salimos del agua, eh...
[It's] also for when we come out of the water, um...
Caption 36, Ana Teresa Yoga y surf
Play Caption
This describes where someone or something originates or comes from.
La mayoría de la gente viene del Pacífico
Most of the people come from the Pacific,
Caption 2, La Sucursal del Cielo Capítulo 2 - Part 4
Play Caption
This is used like 's in English to indicate ownership when what is owned is preceded by el.
Yago, pero ese caballo es del patrón. Se va a calentar, ¡Yago!
Yago, but that's the master's horse. He's going to get mad, Yago!
Caption 35, Yago 1 La llegada - Part 1
Play Caption
Like a, de is a part of certain Spanish verbs like acordarse de (to remember), olvidarse de (to forget), and depender de (to depend on) and thus changes to del when el is present.
¿Te acuerdas del atraco en el banco?
Do you remember the stickup at the bank?
Caption 54, Los casos de Yabla El examen - Part 1
Play Caption
The contraction del might be used when el follows any of the numerous prepositional phrases that contain the word de (e.g. después de, antes de, a partir de, etc.).
El contrato empieza a correr a partir del próximo mes.
The lease starts to run starting from next month.
Caption 26, Ricardo La compañera de casa - Part 2
Play Caption
As we mentioned in the section regarding al, al and del are often used together when describing a range, with del indicating its beginning.
Cogí unos días libres del veinte al veintiséis de abril".
I took a few days off from April twentieth to twenty-sixth."
Caption 26, Aprendiendo con Silvia Horas, fechas y períodos de tiempo - Part 3
Play Caption
Now that you have learned a plethora of situations in which you should employ the Spanish contractions al and del, you should be aware of some others in which you should not use them.
Note that when any other definite article (la, las, or los) comes after the word a or de, no contraction is formed.
el corazón envía más sangre a las piernas
the heart sends more blood to the legs
Caption 31, Aprendiendo con Silvia Las emociones - Part 12
Play Caption
Don't use a Spanish contraction when the word el is part of a proper noun. Carlos sums this up perfectly:
No decimos "el Presidente del Salvador", sino "el Presidente de El Salvador".
We don't say "el Presidente del Salvador," but rather "el Presidente de El Salvador" [the President of El Salvador].
Captions 46-47, Carlos explica Geografía y gentilicios
Play Caption
The Spanish contractions al and del must not be used when what follows a or de is the accented form, or Spanish subject pronoun él (which means "he," "him," or "it" rather than "the").
Ahora, Lukas, todo el mundo se enamora de él.
Now, Lukas, everybody falls in love with him.
Caption 51, Amaya La historia de Lukas
Play Caption
That's all for today. We hope that this lesson has helped you to know when and when not to use the two Spanish contractions al and del, and don't forget to write us with your questions and comments.