Question for the Spanish Speakers

[javero]

Posted: 10/6/15 at 3:50pm

Is it "el antorcha" or "la antorcha"?  I've seen both versions in several magazines and on a few highbrow websites.  I find the use of the definite article "el" before words that start with the letter "a" completely confusing.  I mean, we have el arte, el aguila, el ala, el agua, el ave, el as, el aspa, etc but then there's la avenida and la antorcha all over the place.

 

Anybody know the real rule?

 

Updated On: 10/6/15 at 03:50 PM

[kadu335]

Posted: 10/6/15 at 4:58pm

I think it is "la antorcha" since "antorcha" is a feminine noun (like "tocha" in portuguese, my language), but a native speaker might have a more accurate answer.

Updated On: 10/6/15 at 04:58 PM

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 10/6/15 at 5:19pm

According to the Real Academia Española, it's a feminine pronoun so it should be "la antorcha."

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 10/7/15 at 11:00am

Javero, feminine words that start with a stressed a take el.  Feminine words that start with an unstressed a take la.  For instance, agua and aguila starts with a stressed a (el agua; el aguila) whereas in antorcha and avenida, the stressed syllable is the second to the last syllable, not the first, so they take la instead of el.  

Updated On: 10/9/15 at 11:00 AM

[javero]

Posted: 10/7/15 at 4:55pm

Thanks to all who've responded so far.  I was thrown off by a couple of corner cases.  Apparently, its ok to name a male athlete, sports team, restaurant, or superhero el Antorcha (The Torch) or a female wrestler la Hacha (The Axe).

 

http://www.diariovasco.com/v/20120503/costa-urola/impone-partidos-contra-antorcha-20120503.html

Updated On: 10/7/15 at 04:55 PM

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Posted: 10/8/15 at 10:49am

ray-andallthatjazz86 said: "According to the Real Academia Española, it's a feminine pronoun so it should be "la antorcha."

 

Ray - The nouns in this conversation (antorcha, agua, etc.) are feminine regardless of their article (el or la).   That's why we say "mucha agua", not "mucho agua", even though it's "el agua" for the reasons Henrik described above.

Updated On: 10/8/15 at 10:49 AM