Indefinite articles in Spanish — un, una(a, an), unos, unas(some, a few)— can refer to:
One individual out of a group:
Unspecified items:
Things mentioned for the first time:
Knowing when to use them is useful, but it’s also important to know when indefinite articles are omitted. Do you want to know more? Then keep reading!
Indefinite articles are those that identify an item or person out of a group. Just as with Spanish definite articles they agreeNo definition set for agreeLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. with the noun they precede in genderNo definition set for genderLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. and numberNo definition set for numberLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum..
gender/number | masculine | feminine |
|---|---|---|
singular a, an | un | una |
plural a few, some | unos | unas |
Just like with definite articles, remember that if you have a singular, feminine noun starting with stressed a- or ha-, you need to use the masculine indefinite article. We make this change only because of phonetic reasons, to avoid having a longer vowel sound (una aula):
Check out this list of Spanish words that follow this rule!
Use the indefinite article to identify something or someone as part of a group:
Whenever we mention something for the first time, we need to introduce it with an indefinite article:
Todas las mañanas voy a un parque. En el parque hay muchos pájaros.
Every morning I go to a park. In the park there are many birds.
Did you see what we did there? First we used the indefinite article to mention the park for the first time. Once it was clear what we were talking about, we used the definite article.
Sometimes we can use a noun to refer to a personal quality. In this case, that noun is introduced by the indefinite article:
Indefinite articles can be used to express quantity, as “one” of something:
Or, to express an approximate amount:
In this case, the plural forms unos/unas can be also used to mean “some” in English.
How would you say, “She has one car”? Did you think, “Ella tiene uno carro”? Close! In Spanish, when using the word uno as an equivalent of “one,” it becomes un when followed by a masculine singular noun → Ella tiene un carro.
To indicate that there is “one,” “a person/object,” or “some” with the verb hay ("there is/there are"), we use the indefinite article.
The use of the definite article after hay is not very common and you can learn more about it in this post about the verb hay in Spanish.
Lina es enfermera. Lina is a nurse. | Lina es una enfermera brillante. Lina is an outstanding nurse. |
On the left you can see we’re only using a noun after the verb ser; no article needed. Conversely, in the example on the right, the noun enfermera ("nurse") is modified by the adjective brillante ("outstanding"); that’s why we add the indefinite article una ("a/an")
This is especially applicable for nouns of professions, nationality, and ideology after the verb ser. Let's compare a couple of examples:
When the speaker refers to a specific object that they assume someone owns/has/wears or can only use one at a time:
Just like with the verb ser, if the noun is modified, then we use the article:
For more on the Spanish verb tener, check out our post!
The numbers cien ("a hundred") and mil ("a thousand") in Spanish don’t need the word uno ("one") or un ("a"):
Hay cien personas en la conferencia.
There are a hundred people in the conference.
¿Tomas azúcar con tu café?
Do you take sugar with your coffee?
You might have expected to use an article to express “some,” but because it isn’t clear how much sugar we’re talking about, the article is not necessary.
The indefinite article can be omitted when referring in a general sense to an item that is the direct objectNo definition set for direct objectLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. of a sentence, only if the direct object noun is plural.
Julián escribe cartas para sus amigos.
Julian writes letters to his friends.
In this example, “Julián writes letters” is expressed as an activity that he normally does. If we wanted to say that he’s writing them for a specific reason, then we need to specify the noun by using the indefinite article:
Julián escribe unas cartas de navidad para sus amigos.
Julián writes some Christmas letters to his friends.
¿Quieres otro vaso de agua?
Do you want another glass of water?
En cierta ocasión conocí a una mujer de Paraguay.
On one occasion, I met a woman from Paraguay.
Llegaremos a casa en media hora.
We’ll arrive home in half an hour.
Please sign with a blue pen.
Don’t go out without an umbrella.
We have just learned when to use and not to use indefinite articles in Spanish. As always, there are similarities and differences with English. I’m sure that with extra practice and dedication you’ll be using indefinite articles correctly in no time!
We have prepared this short exercise on Spanish indefinite articles so you can put your knowledge to the test. And if you’re up for a challenge, here’s an exercise to practice definite and indefinite articles in Spanish. Happy learning!
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