In Spanish, the definite articles el, la, los, and las must agree in gender and number with the noun they accompany. For example:
• El libro (masculine singular).
• Las flores (feminine plural).
a) Las ventanas están abiertas.
"Ventanas" is a feminine plural noun, so the correct definite article is las.
-Rule: The articles las and los are used with plural nouns.
b) El problema es difícil de resolver.
"Problema" is a masculine singular noun, even though it ends in -a. This is an exception to the general gender pattern.
-Rule: Some nouns, like problema or sistema, are masculine despite ending in -a.
c) Los estudiantes llegaron temprano.
"Estudiantes" is a masculine plural noun (it can refer to a mixed group or only males), so the correct article is los.
-Rule: When the gender of plural nouns is not specified, the masculine article los is used.
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