Breakdown of El acceso al wifi de la biblioteca es gratis.
Questions & Answers about El acceso al wifi de la biblioteca es gratis.
Spanish uses the definite article (el, la, los, las) much more than English, especially with abstract or general nouns used as the subject of a sentence.
- El acceso al wifi de la biblioteca es gratis.
Literally: The access to the wifi of the library is free.
Here acceso is a specific, identifiable thing in this context: “the access to that wifi service.” So Spanish naturally uses el.
In English, dropping the (“Access to… is free”) sounds normal; in Spanish, starting with just Acceso al wifi… would sound incomplete or like a headline, not a normal sentence.
Al is the standard contraction of a + el:
- a + el = al
(to/at + the)
So:
- acceso al wifi = acceso a el wifi (“access to the wifi”)
In normal Spanish, a el is almost always contracted to al, except in very rare special cases (like when el is a pronoun or part of a title). In everyday sentences like this, a el wifi would sound incorrect; you must say al wifi.
The noun acceso (“access”) typically takes a to introduce what you have access to:
- acceso a internet – access to the internet
- acceso al edificio – access to the building
- acceso al wifi – access to the wifi
Using de here would change or break the meaning. Acceso de wifi doesn’t work in Spanish; it would sound ungrammatical.
So the pattern is:
tener / dar / permitir acceso a + [thing]
In practice, wifi can be either masculine or feminine in Spanish, and both el wifi and la wifi are heard, especially in Spain.
- Traditionally and in many dictionaries: el wifi (masculine)
- In everyday speech in Spain, lots of people also say: la wifi (feminine)
In your sentence:
- El acceso al wifi de la biblioteca es gratis.
the speaker is treating wifi as masculine (el wifi → al wifi).
You could also hear:
- El acceso a la wifi de la biblioteca es gratis.
This is also understood and used, especially in casual European Spanish. The choice is mostly regional and habitual; grammatically, both genres are accepted today.
De la biblioteca literally means “of the library”, referring to a specific library already known in the context (for example, the local public library, the university library, etc.).
Spanish usually needs an article before a singular, countable noun in this kind of “of the X” phrase:
- el wifi de la biblioteca – the wifi of the library
- el director de la empresa – the director of the company
Saying de biblioteca (without the article) sounds like you’re making a more general, descriptive phrase (as in “library‑type access”), and it’s not natural here.
So:
- Correct in context: de la biblioteca – of the (specific) library
- De biblioteca – not natural in this meaning.
Yes, you can say de la librería, but it changes the meaning:
- biblioteca = library (you borrow books, study there; public or university place)
- librería = bookshop / bookstore (you buy books there)
So:
El acceso al wifi de la biblioteca es gratis.
→ The access to the library’s wifi is free.El acceso al wifi de la librería es gratis.
→ The access to the bookshop’s wifi is free.
Grammatically both are fine; you just need to choose the right word for the place you mean.
Yes, that’s a very natural alternative, with a slightly different focus:
El wifi de la biblioteca es gratis.
→ The library’s wifi is free. (Emphasis on the service itself being free.)El acceso al wifi de la biblioteca es gratis.
→ The access to the library’s wifi is free. (Emphasis on the access being free.)
In everyday conversation, people might prefer the shorter option:
- El wifi de la biblioteca es gratis.
Your original sentence is perfectly correct; it’s just a bit more formal/explicit.
They’re related but not interchangeable in this context:
gratis
- Means “free (of charge).”
- Very common in speech and writing.
- El acceso… es gratis = You don’t have to pay.
gratuito / gratuita
- Also means “free (of charge),” more formal or “official.”
- Must agree in gender and number.
- El acceso… es gratuito. (masc. sing.)
- La entrada es gratuita. (fem. sing.)
libre
- Means “free” in the sense of not restricted, available, at liberty.
- Está libre = It’s free/available (not occupied).
- With services, libre doesn’t mean “no cost,” so
- El acceso… es libre would normally mean “it’s unrestricted/open,” not “it’s free of charge.”
In this sentence, to say you don’t pay, you should use gratis or gratuito:
- El acceso al wifi de la biblioteca es gratis.
- El acceso al wifi de la biblioteca es gratuito.
The verb ser (es) is used for characteristics that define or describe something in a more stable, inherent way, including price and the fact that something costs nothing.
- La entrada es cara. – The ticket is expensive.
- La entrada es gratis. – The ticket is free.
Using estar (está gratis) is rare and usually sounds colloquial or non‑standard. You might sometimes hear it in advertising or informal speech to emphasize a temporary promotion, but the normal, correct choice for “is free (of charge)” is:
- es gratis
- es gratuito/a
So your sentence is using the standard, neutral form.
You can move elements around, but not all orders sound equally natural.
These are all grammatically possible, but with different levels of naturalness:
El acceso al wifi de la biblioteca es gratis.
→ Most natural, neutral word order.En la biblioteca, el acceso al wifi es gratis.
→ Also very natural; adds emphasis to “in the library.”El acceso es gratis al wifi de la biblioteca.
→ Understandable, but sounds a bit awkward or marked; the prepositional phrase usually stays attached to acceso.
If you keep acceso al wifi together, you’re usually safe:
- En la biblioteca, el acceso al wifi es gratis. (good)
- El acceso al wifi es gratis en la biblioteca. (also good)
In Spanish:
- It’s usually written wifi (all lowercase), without an accent.
- Sometimes you may see Wi‑Fi as in English, especially in technical contexts, but wifi is the common form.
- Pronunciation (in Spain): approximately [WEE‑fee], with a Spanish i sound:
- wi → like “wee”
- fi → like “fee”
So your sentence is correctly written with lowercase, no accent:
- El acceso al wifi de la biblioteca es gratis.