la
/la/
In Spanish, la is the sixth note of a major scale.
la is used as an article before feminine nouns.
Meaning: sixth note of a major scale (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
/la/
Did you know?
- In some regional Spanish slang, la is used in phrases like darla toda to mean giving one's absolute best or performing with maximum energy.
- Because la comes from the Latin word illa, it is a distant cousin to the English word 'that'.
- While la is a definite article, it can also function as a direct object pronoun to replace a feminine noun, such as in la veo meaning 'I see her'.
Examples in context
- Estas bebidas son a la carta.These drinks are a la carte.This sentence shows how la is used in the phrase 'a la carta'.Tatoeba #3804862 by cueyayotl, translation #328505 by fcbond
- Se llamó don Quijote de la Mancha.He was called Don Quixote of La Mancha.This sentence shows la used as part of a proper name.Tatoeba #5947024 by arh, translation #9594074 by DJ_Saidez
- Valse de la Lune la ha compuesto Yooko Kanno."Valse de la Lune" was composed by Yoko Kanno.This sentence shows la used in a title.Tatoeba #832135 by LugoIlmer, translation #9863023 by DJ_Saidez
- La casa es hermosa.The house is beautiful.
- La comida está deliciosa.The food is delicious.
- La gata está durmiendo.The cat is sleeping.
- 16 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A music teacher and a student are reviewing a scale.
- MateoLa escala tiene la nota la en medio.The scale has the note la in the middle.
- Sofía¿Dónde está la nota la exactamente?Where is the note la exactly?
- MateoEs la sexta nota de la escala.It is the sixth note of the scale.
- SofíaAhora comprendo la posición de la nota la.Now I understand the position of the note la.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry la, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries la, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
