Breakdown of La temperatura del agua sube rápido en verano.
el agua
the water
en
in
el verano
the summer
.
period
Questions & Answers about La temperatura del agua sube rápido en verano.
Why is it la temperatura and not el temperatura?
Temperatura is a feminine noun in Spanish, so it takes the feminine article la.
- la temperatura = the temperature
- el is used with masculine nouns (e.g. el calor – the heat)
- la is used with feminine nouns (e.g. la temperatura, la humedad)
The gender is simply part of the word’s dictionary entry: you learn temperatura (f.), so you must say la temperatura.
What does del mean in la temperatura del agua, and why not just de el agua?
Del is a mandatory contraction of the preposition de + the masculine singular article el:
- de + el = del
So:
- ✗ la temperatura de el agua
- ✓ la temperatura del agua
In Spanish, de el almost always contracts to del (the main exception is when El is part of a proper name, like de El Salvador).
If agua is feminine, why do we say del agua instead of de la agua?