El formulario de candidatura incluye la carta de presentación.

Because Spanish nouns have grammatical gender.

• formulario is a masculine noun, so it takes el
• carta is a feminine noun, so it takes la

This gender is grammatical, not about real-world sex. You usually just have to learn the noun together with its article:

• el formulario
• la carta

That helps you remember the correct gender naturally.

Here, de means something like of or for depending on how you translate it naturally into English.

So:

• formulario de candidatura = application form / candidacy form

Spanish often uses noun + de + noun where English prefers a compound noun:

• carta de presentación = cover letter
• formulario de inscripción = registration form
• oferta de trabajo = job offer

So this structure is very common and worth getting used to.

Because del is only a contraction of de + el.

• de + el = del
• de + la = de la (no contraction)

So:

• del formulario = correct
• de la carta = correct
• del carta = incorrect

In your sentence, the phrase is de candidatura, with no article at all after de, so there is no contraction.

In this context, candidatura refers to a job application or candidacy.

Depending on context, candidatura can mean:

• someone’s candidacy for a position
• an application for something
• a formal submission as a candidate

In job-related Spanish, formulario de candidatura is a natural way to talk about an application form.

A learner should also know that in some contexts Spanish may use solicitud as well:

• formulario de solicitud = application form

The exact preferred term can vary by context and region, but candidatura is perfectly understandable, especially in formal or professional settings.

Because incluye is the third person singular form of the verb incluir in the present tense, and it agrees with the subject el formulario.

Conjugation of incluir in the present:

• yo incluyo
• tú incluyes
• él/ella/usted incluye
• nosotros/nosotras incluimos
• vosotros/vosotras incluís
• ellos/ellas/ustedes incluyen

Since el formulario = it, you need:

• El formulario incluye...
• The form includes...

Not:

• incluyen → that would be for they include
• incluir → that is the infinitive, to include

Spanish uses articles more often than English does.

So even when English leaves them out, Spanish often prefers them:

• El formulario...
• la carta de presentación

This is especially common when talking about something specific or understood from context.

In a real sentence, Spanish usually sounds more natural with the articles here than without them. Leaving them out would often sound incomplete or unnatural.

In a job application context, yes, carta de presentación is the normal equivalent of cover letter.

Literally, it looks like letter of presentation/introduction, but in professional English the best translation is usually cover letter.

So in this sentence, that is the meaning you should think of.

Because the personal a is mainly used before a specific human person (or sometimes a personified being), not before things.

Here, la carta de presentación is a thing, not a person, so there is no a.

Compare:

• Incluye la carta de presentación. = It includes the cover letter.
• Veo a María. = I see María.

So:

• direct object = thing → usually no a
• direct object = specific person → often yes, a

It links the two nouns and shows what kind of letter it is.

• carta = letter
• de presentación = of presentation / introducing yourself

Together:

• carta de presentación = cover letter

This is another example of the very common Spanish pattern:

• noun + de + noun

English often turns this into a single expression instead of translating word for word.

Often yes, but the nuance can change a little.

For example:

• formulario de solicitud = application form
• formulario de candidatura = candidacy/application form

In many job contexts, both can work, but:

• solicitud focuses more on the application/request
• candidatura focuses more on the person being a candidate

In practice, which one sounds most natural may depend on the company, website, or type of process.

Because the sentence follows the normal Spanish order:

• subject + verb + object

Breakdown:

• El formulario de candidatura = subject
• incluye = verb
• la carta de presentación = direct object

So it is a very standard sentence structure, just like:

• El documento contiene la información.
• La solicitud requiere una firma.

That makes this sentence a good model for basic formal Spanish.

The written accent mark shows where the stress goes:

• pre-sen-ta-CIÓN

Without the accent, the stress rules would suggest a different pronunciation, so the accent is necessary.

This is useful because many abstract nouns ending in -ción are stressed in the same way:

• información
• aplicación
• presentación

Also, many of these correspond to English words ending in -tion, which can help you recognize them.

A very literal breakdown would be:

• El formulario de candidatura = the application/candidacy form
• incluye = includes
• la carta de presentación = the cover letter

Natural English would usually be:

• The application form includes the cover letter.

Or, depending on context:

• The application includes a cover letter.

So the Spanish sentence is structurally straightforward, but some noun phrases like carta de presentación are better translated as set expressions rather than word for word.