In this lesson, we would like to remind you of a very simple rule, which is nonetheless often forgotten even by native Spanish speakers. Let's start this lesson with a simple quiz. Which of the following sentences is incorrect?
Sentence A
Pero tenéis que entender que la mayoría de animales
But you have to understand that most animals
Captions 48-49, Amaya - Mis burras Lola y Canija
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Sentence B
"Cultivaremos la mayoría de los alimentos en los océanos".
"We'll grow most of [our] food in the oceans."
Caption 3, Escuela BCNLIP - Clase con Javi: el futuro
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If you're not sure which sentence is incorrect, we invite you to read this lesson.
In expressions in which a part of a group is mentioned, it is appropriate to keep the article (el, la, los, or las) after the preposition de. Let's look at a couple of examples with different expressions:
Correct:
La mitad de los artistas deberían estar presos
Half of the artists should be in jail
Caption 34, Calle 13 - Calma Pueblo
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Incorrect:
está limitado a la mitad de personas que pueden entrar habitualmente.
is limited to half the people who can usually enter.
Caption 32, Sergio - Socorrismo y COVID-19
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In this sentence, the article is missing after the preposition de. Considering that, the following would be the appropriate way of saying this sentence:
está limitado a la mitad de las personas que pueden entrar habitualmente.
Correct:
es uno de los principales problemas ambientales
is one of the main environmental problems
de la mayoría de los países del mundo,
of most countries in the world,
Captions 8-9, 3R - Campaña de reciclaje
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Incorrect:
En la mayoría de casos, el burro es incautado por la policía de los animales
In most cases, the donkey is confiscated by the animal police
Caption 51, Santuario para burros - Santuario
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As you can see, in this sentence, the article is also missing after the preposition de. That said, the appropriate form would be the following:
En la mayoría de los casos, el burro es incautado por la policía de los animales
Can you now answer the question we posed at the beginning of this lesson?
While this mistake is not a dramatic one, we invite you to keep this rule in mind so you can construct these kinds of sentences properly. That's all for now. We hope you have enjoyed this brief reminder, and don't forget to send us your comments and suggestions. ¡Hasta la próxima!
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