grammar.articles.contractions-al-del
Al and del: the only two contractions
A + el = al, de + el = del — mandatory: voy al banco, vengo del trabajo. Never with la/los/las or with proper names containing El.
grammarA1v0.1.0
Explicación
These are the only contractions in Spanish and they are obligatory: *a el mercado is wrong; voy al mercado. Same with del: la oficina del jefe.
No contraction with the other articles (a la playa, de los clientes) nor when El belongs to a proper name: el equipo de El Alto.
Ejemplos
Vamos al centro.
We're going downtown.
We're going downtown.
Región: global
Es el dueño del edificio.
He's the owner of the building.
He's the owner of the building.
Región: global