grammar.articles.with-titles
El señor García: articles with titles
Talking about someone: article + title (el señor García, la doctora Rojas). Talking to them: no article (buenos días, señor García). Don/doña never take one.
grammarA2✓ Reviewedv0.1.0
Explanation
When you talk about someone using a title, Spanish puts the article before the title: el señor García llamó, la doctora Rojas no está, el profesor Díaz. The title behaves like part of a normal noun phrase.
But when you talk to the person directly (address them), the article drops: buenos días, señor García; gracias, doctora; ¿cómo está, profesora? Mixing these up — *gracias, el doctor — is a giveaway error.
Don and doña are the exception: they never take the article, whether you're referring to or addressing the person — don Mario, doña Carmen, saludá a don Pedro (never *el don Mario).
Examples
Mrs. Quispe left a message.
Region: global
Good afternoon, Mr. Flores.
Region: global
Dr. Rojas operates today; good afternoon, Dr. Rojas.