Use of definite article

Hola Matthew G.

Great question! The use of the definite article in Spanish can definitely be tricky, especially when it comes to food categories and general nouns. In general, Spanish tends to use the definite article (el, la, los, las) more frequently than English when referring to things in a general or abstract way.

For example, you'll commonly see el azúcar, el sodio, los carbohidratos and los lácteos because these are treated as substances or categories. In these cases, the article indicates you're talking about the concept or group as a whole, rather than specific items.

On the other hand, when we talk about food items in a more everyday, practical sense—especially in the context of meals, diets, or food lists—the article is often omitted. So you’ll see pescado, marisco, granos and huevos without an article when they’re part of a general statement like Comemos pescado y marisco ("We eat fish and seafood") or Los niños desayunan huevos ("The children have eggs for breakfast"). Here, the omission makes the sentence more fluid and natural, focusing on the type of food rather than a defined group.

A key distinction lies between abstract or mass nouns versus concrete, countable food items. Things like azúcar and sodio are abstract or uncountable substances, so they tend to keep the article. Food items like huevos or pescado, however, are countable or commonly used in plural, and the article can be dropped when referring to them in general. The register also plays a role—scientific or formal texts are more likely to include the article for precision, whereas conversational or informal contexts favor dropping it.

So, while there’s no one-size-fits-all rule, thinking about whether you’re referring to a category vs. a general type of food in context usually helps guide article usage.

I hope this sheds some light on the patterns you’re seeing. 

Un saludo

Silvia