When should I add el or la?

Question

I wonder to know whether the second sentence need add ´´la´´ to indicate ´´the´´ meaning or not? Thanks.

Nosotros todavía no salimos del trabajo. /We haven't yet left work.

Juan todavía no salió de casa. /Juan has not left the house yet.

Inma Sánchez · Answer

Hola Claire

You can add "la" in "Juan todavía no salió de casa." (Juan has not left the house yet.), that's also correct. It's more natural in Spain to use it as a set phrase (salir de casa) without the article, but you can definitely use it too. In Latin America you may actually find it more often "Juan salió de la casa".

Saludos y felices fiestas

Inma