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al

to the

article ahl Rare
Grammar & Structure Prepositions

Origin: Contraction of the preposition a and the masculine singular definite article el; one of two mandatory contractions in Spanish (the other being del).

Also means

at the

Usage Note

Al is one of only two obligatory contractions in Spanish grammar; a + el must always contract to al before a masculine singular noun or infinitive used as a noun. It does NOT contract before a proper name starting with El: one writes viajé a El Cairo, not al Cairo. The second contraction, del (de + el), follows the same rule.

Examples

"Fui al mercado esta mañana."

Natural Translation

I went to the market this morning.

Literal Translation

I went to-the market this morning.

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