les
Spanish, article/les/
les is spelled L-E-S (3 letters) and appears 759 times per million words in written Spanish, the 102nd most frequent Spanish word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Les is a Spanish article meaning “the (plural)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). It is also a dative of ellos and ellas; to them, for them. The Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario) defines it as “Artículo determinado neutro plural”.
What does les mean in English?
article
- 1
the (plural)
Les estudiantes están prestando atención a la clase.
pronoun
- 1
dative of ellos and ellas; to them, for them
Los chicos están hambrientos, les llevaré algo de comer.
- 2
dative of ustedes; to you all, for you all (formal)
Hijas, ¿quieren que les compre algo de la tienda?
- 3
accusative of ustedes; you all (formal)
¿Necesitan que [yo] les ayude en algo?
- 4
accusative of ellos and ellas; them
Se les considera unos tontos. [non-proscribed]
- 5
dative of elles; to them, for them
Les pedí que por favor hagan silencio.
Source: English Wiktionary, Spanish section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How Spanish dictionaries define it
article: 1. Artículo determinado neutro plural.
The definition in the Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario), in Spanish.
Source: Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of les
- les gender-neutral canonical plural
Source: English Wiktionary and Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce les?
- /les/
- [les]
Sources: English Wiktionary, Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to les
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is les in Spanish?
les appears 759 times per million words in written Spanish.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).