Titles in Spanish — señor, señora, doctor, profesor, ingeniero — have one simple rule that trips up most learners: include the article when talking about someone, but drop it when talking to them. This parallels the courtesy distinction between third-person reference and direct address.
Talking About Someone
When you mention a person in the third person, the title takes a definite article.
El señor López es médico.
Mr. López is a doctor.
La doctora Ruiz llegó temprano.
Dr. Ruiz arrived early.
El profesor Gómez enseña historia.
Professor Gómez teaches history.
The article matches the person's gender: el for men, la for women.
Talking to Someone
When you address the person directly, the title is used without an article — it behaves like a name.
Buenos días, señor López.
Good morning, Mr. López.
Saying Buenos días, el señor López would sound wrong — you are speaking directly to him, so the article disappears.
Summary Table
| Situation | Example |
|---|---|
| Third-person statement | La señora García viene mañana. |
| Third-person question | ¿Conoces al doctor Ramírez? |
| Direct address (greeting) | Hola, señor Pérez. |
| Direct address (asking) | Profesora, ¿hay tarea? |
Notice conoces al doctor — this is a case where the preposition a (the personal a) contracts with the article el to become al. See Contractions.
Don and Doña
The old-fashioned but still-used titles don and doña show respect before a first name. They never take an article, whether you are talking to or about the person.
Don Julio tiene una panadería.
Don Julio has a bakery.
Gracias, doña Elena.
Thank you, Doña Elena.
These are essentially honorifics attached to the name itself.
Religious Titles: San, Santo, Santa
Saints' names also skip the article when used as labels:
San Juan y Santa María son patronos.
Saint John and Saint Mary are patron saints.
The forms are:
- San before most male names: San Juan, San Pedro, San Pablo.
- Santo before male names starting with Do- or To-: Santo Domingo, Santo Tomás.
- Santa for female names: Santa María, Santa Teresa.
Usted vs Tú and Titles
Titles typically pair with the formal pronoun usted, not the informal tú. This is especially true in Latin America, where usted signals respect for age, rank, or distance. See Tú vs. Usted for details.
Señor Gómez, ¿usted tiene hijos?
Mr. Gómez, do you have children?
Exception: First Names and Nicknames
With just a first name or nickname (no title), no article is needed: Pedro, María, Carlos. In some regional casual speech (notably parts of Chile and Argentina), you will hear la María or el Pedro, but this is informal and not standard. In careful writing, leave names bare.
María trabaja en un hospital.
María works at a hospital.
Quick Recap
- Use el/la + title when speaking about someone.
- Drop the article when speaking to them.
- Don and doña never take an article.
- Saint titles (San, Santa) also stand alone before names.
- With a, the article contracts: llamé al doctor Ruiz.
- Casual article + first name (la María) is regional and not standard writing.
Common mistakes
❌ Buenos días, el señor García.
Wrong: drop the article when speaking directly to someone.
✅ Buenos días, señor García.
Correct: no article in direct address.
❌ Hablé con señor García ayer.
Wrong: use the article when referring to someone in the third person.
✅ Hablé con el señor García ayer.
Correct: el señor when talking about, not to, someone.
❌ El don Pedro es muy amable.
Wrong: don and doña never take an article.
✅ Don Pedro es muy amable.
Correct: don stands alone before the name.
Related Topics
- Definite Articles (El, La, Los, Las)A1 — The four forms of the definite article and how they agree with the noun's gender and number
- Tú vs UstedA1 — The informal (tú) and formal (usted) singular 'you' and when to use each