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I was recently reviewing rules regarding when the definite article is used in Spanish and when it is not. One rule (which is included on many websites that teach Spanish grammar) states that it is to be used with nouns in a "general sense." For example:

La leche es blanca.

Recently, however, I came upon a web page that states:

"You do not use articles in Spanish when you are speaking about something very generally."

Example:

Comes tacos.

So, with a sentence such as, "They drink milk," should the definite article be used or omitted?

Ellos beben leche.

or

Ellos beben la leche.

A Google search indicates that although omission of the definite article is more common, both can be used. I was just wondering if there might be some specific rule that addresses this. I'm actually attempting to answer this for someone else and came up with a theory of my own. Before answering this question, you may want to read it. The link to it is below:

I don't have a definitive answer for you on this, ...

I now see that someone at the discussion thread I refer to above actually attempted to address this issue after I posted my comment (see the comment below mine), but I'm not really very satisfied with the answer that was given. I figured I might have better luck over here at StackExchange because I've been impressed with some of the very erudite responses I often read here. I am very interested in what some might have to say on this topic and thank you in advance for your attempts to answer it.

Lisa Beck
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  • I hadn't thought to explore the topic of determiners. Muy interesante. I would imagine, however, that few other beginning students of Spanish would think to explore that topic either. So, I'm going to leave this question in place to see if anyone addresses it head on. If nothing else, it should save you from having to refer to "When and why is a 'determiner' necessary for a subject?" in the future. In the meantime, thank you for your reply, guifa. I am impressed with your speed of response. ¡Bravo! – Lisa Beck Apr 26 '16 at 16:42
  • I feel the pressure to accept the "determiner" answer as an answer to this, but I was hoping someone might answer this question more specifically and directly. Plus, I've at least skimmed through the article on determiners and get what it is saying, but I don't get the impression anyone has bothered to address the theory I mention in my link ("I don't have a definitive answer for you on this, ...). – Lisa Beck Apr 26 '16 at 19:45
  • I suppose I'm still holding out for someone to give an answer from more of a linguistic perspective or one that addresses patterns of speech. Also, that page on determiners has six different points to it. Which one specifically addresses what I have asked here? I suppose you could say all of it, but I was hoping for something a bit more specific. – Lisa Beck Apr 26 '16 at 19:46
  • Your theory is right in that nouns working as subjects usually take a determiner, but I don't feel that makes them less general. It's a matter of grammar; the presence/absence of a determiner doesn't make the noun more/less specific when it is the subject. I disagree with the comment below yours about applying to all members in a set. It's a mere coincidence that in their example with "leche" it applies to all the milk in the world and in the one with "la leche" not to all of it; rather, the usage of determiners is related to how general something is, not to how many members it applies to. – Yay Apr 27 '16 at 12:38

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