Question

look at the image and complete the sentence with the correct word.

él es el hijo ______ madre.

del
de los
de la
de las

Explanation:

Analyze the sentence structure

The sentence is: "Él es el hijo ________ madre."
This translates to: "He is the son ________ mother."
We need to express possession ("the son of the mother") using the preposition "de" (of) and the correct definite article for "madre".

Determine the gender and number of "madre"

Using our Spanish Vocabulary knowledge, we know that "madre" (mother) is a feminine singular noun.
Therefore, the correct definite article for "madre" is "la".

Combine the preposition and article

To say "of the mother", we combine the preposition "de" (of) with the feminine singular article "la" (the).
This gives us "de la".
Unlike "de + el" which contracts to "del", "de + la" does not contract and remains two separate words: "de la".

Evaluate the given options

• "del": This is the contraction of "de + el" (masculine singular). Incorrect because "madre" is feminine.
• "de los": This is "de + los" (masculine plural). Incorrect.
• "de la": This is "de + la" (feminine singular). Correct.
• "de las": This is "de + las" (feminine plural). Incorrect.

Answer:

• del
• de los
• de la (Correct answer)
• de las