Indefinite Articles in Portuguese

In Brief

Portuguese has four indefinite articles: um and uma usually mean “a” or “an,” while uns and umas usually mean “some.” Choose the form that matches the noun’s grammatical gender and number: um livro, uma casa, uns livros, umas casas. Unlike English, Portuguese normally omits the article before an unmodified profession after ser: Sou médico (“I’m a doctor”).

Overview

An article is a small word placed before a noun (a word for a person, place, thing, or idea). An indefinite article introduces someone or something that is not yet specifically identified: um restaurante means “a restaurant,” not one particular restaurant already known to both speakers.

This is a core A1 topic, but it depends on one feature that English does not have: every Portuguese noun has grammatical gender, meaning it is treated as masculine or feminine. The article displays that gender. It also shows number—whether the noun is singular or plural. You therefore learn an article and a noun together: um problema, not merely problema; uma mão, not merely mão. The noun’s ending offers useful clues, but it does not always reveal its gender.

English has only singular a/an and often uses some for an indefinite plural. Portuguese uses a four-form system. The singular forms are very common; the plural forms are useful but not automatic. A bare plural noun can also have a general or indefinite meaning, so comprei livros and comprei uns livros are both possible, with a difference in emphasis.

How It Works

The four forms

Gender and number	Article	Basic English equivalent	Example
Masculine singular	um	a, an	um livro — a book
Feminine singular	uma	a, an	uma casa — a house
Masculine plural	uns	some	uns livros — some books
Feminine plural	umas	some	umas casas — some houses

The article agrees with the noun, not with the speaker or owner. A woman can say Tenho um carro because carro is masculine; a man can say Tenho uma bicicleta because bicicleta is feminine.

Gender comes from the noun

Many nouns ending in -o are masculine and many ending in -a are feminine:

• um quarto — a room
• uma janela — a window
• uns pratos — some plates
• umas cadeiras — some chairs

Treat this as a pattern, not an infallible rule. Common exceptions include um dia (“a day”), um problema (“a problem”), uma mão (“a hand”), and uma foto (“a photo”). A noun ending in another letter must also be learned with its gender: um hotel, uma cidade.

For people and animals, a change in the noun may accompany the change in article:

Masculine	Feminine	English
um amigo	uma amiga	a male friend / a female friend
um professor	uma professora	a male teacher / a female teacher
uns gatos	umas gatas	some male cats / some female cats

When a plural group contains males and females, traditional standard Portuguese normally uses the masculine plural: uns amigos can mean some male friends or a mixed group of friends. Umas amigas identifies an all-female group.

Singular: “a/an” or the number “one”

Portuguese does not change the article according to the next sound. English chooses a book but an orange; Portuguese chooses according to gender:

• um livro — a book
• um amigo — a friend
• uma laranja — an orange
• uma amiga — a friend

The forms um and uma are also the numbers “one.” Context usually makes the meaning clear:

• Preciso de um bilhete. — I need a ticket.
• Preciso de um bilhete, não de dois. — I need one ticket, not two.

In speech, extra stress can make the numerical meaning more obvious. In writing, a contrast such as não dois does the same job.

Plural: “some,” “a few,” or an unspecified set

Uns and umas introduce a limited but unspecified group:

• Vieram uns amigos. — Some friends came.
• Comprei umas maçãs. — I bought some apples.

They can suggest “a few” or “certain,” depending on context. They do not simply mark every indefinite plural. Compare:

Portuguese	Natural English	Difference
Comprei livros.	I bought books.	Neutral; no particular set or quantity is highlighted
Comprei uns livros.	I bought some books.	Presents a limited, unspecified set
Há estudantes na sala.	There are students in the room.	Neutral existence
Há uns estudantes na sala.	There are some students in the room.	Draws attention to a particular unidentified group

English speakers often insert uns/umas whenever they would say some. Resist doing this mechanically. Portuguese frequently uses a bare noun—a noun with no article—for an indefinite amount or category: Bebo café (“I drink coffee”), Precisamos de cadeiras (“We need chairs”). Use uns/umas when the idea of an unspecified set is relevant.

Introducing something, then referring back to it

The indefinite article commonly introduces a new person or thing. Later references normally use a definite article—the equivalent of “the”—because the listener now knows which one is meant:

Vi um cão no jardim. O cão estava a dormir. “I saw a dog in the garden. The dog was sleeping.”

This new-to-known pattern is similar to English and is a useful way to understand why the article is called “indefinite.”

Omission with professions and roles after ser

Portuguese normally uses no article when a profession, nationality, religion, or social role simply classifies the subject after ser (“to be”):

• Sou médico. — I’m a doctor.
• A Ana é engenheira. — Ana is an engineer.
• Eles são estudantes. — They are students.

This differs sharply from English, which requires a/an with a singular profession. Do not translate the English article word for word.

An article becomes natural when the noun phrase is qualified, evaluated, identified as one among a group, or otherwise expanded:

• Ela é uma médica excelente. — She is an excellent doctor.
• Ele é um professor muito paciente. — He is a very patient teacher.
• O Rui é um dos nossos médicos. — Rui is one of our doctors.

The beginner rule is therefore simple: with ser + profession alone, omit the article. Add an article when you are describing or evaluating the person with a fuller noun phrase.

Examples in Context

Portuguese	English	Note
Quero um café, por favor.	I’d like a coffee, please.	Masculine singular
Ela comprou uma mochila nova.	She bought a new backpack.	Feminine singular; the adjective also agrees
Há um problema com a reserva.	There is a problem with the reservation.	Problema is masculine despite final -a
Preciso de uma mão.	I need a hand.	Mão is feminine despite its ending
Uns amigos vêm jantar hoje.	Some friends are coming to dinner today.	Masculine or mixed plural group
Vi umas fotografias antigas.	I saw some old photographs.	Feminine plural
Eles alugaram um apartamento no centro.	They rented an apartment downtown.	Introduces a new, unidentified apartment
Conheci uma pessoa muito simpática.	I met a very nice person.	Pessoa is grammatically feminine regardless of the person’s gender
Comprei pão e umas laranjas.	I bought bread and some oranges.	Bare mass noun, but a limited set of oranges
Sou advogado.	I’m a lawyer.	No article with an unmodified profession after ser
A Marta é uma advogada brilhante.	Marta is a brilliant lawyer.	Article used with an evaluated, modified profession
Vimos um filme. O filme era brasileiro.	We watched a film. The film was Brazilian.	Indefinite introduction, then definite reference
A viagem demora umas duas horas.	The trip takes about two hours.	Umas makes the number approximate
Encontrei-o numa loja perto daqui.	I met him in a shop near here.	em + uma = numa

Common Mistakes

Using um with every singular noun

• Wrong: um casa
• Right: uma casa
• Why: The article must match the noun’s grammatical gender. Casa is feminine.

Trusting the final letter without checking the noun

• Wrong: uma problema difícil
• Right: um problema difícil
• Why: Endings provide clues, not guarantees. Learn frequent exceptions as complete phrases: um problema, uma mão, um dia.

Copying English a/an before a profession

• Wrong: Sou um médico. when simply stating your profession
• Right: Sou médico.
• Why: Portuguese normally omits the article in a plain ser + profession statement. Sou um médico experiente is natural because experiente adds a description.

Using uns/umas for every English “some”

• Awkward: Preciso de umas informações. when you simply mean that you need information
• Natural: Preciso de informações.
• Why: Bare plural and mass nouns are common for an unspecified quantity. Umas informações may be possible when you mean several particular pieces of information, but it adds a sense of a limited set.

Forgetting plural agreement

• Wrong: umas livro interessante
• Right: uns livros interessantes
• Why: Livro is masculine, and all words in this phrase must be plural: article, noun, and adjective.

Confusing “a” with uma

• Wrong: a livro for “a book”
• Right: um livro
• Why: Portuguese a is the feminine definite article “the” (and can also be a preposition). English “a” is translated by um or uma, according to gender.

Usage Notes

European and Brazilian Portuguese

The basic four-form system is the same in Portugal and Brazil. Differences are more noticeable in surrounding vocabulary and in how contractions are preferred.

With em (“in/on/at”), the contractions are extremely common:

Combination	Contracted form	Example
em + um	num	num restaurante — in a restaurant
em + uma	numa	numa rua — on a street
em + uns	nuns	nuns documentos — in some documents
em + umas	numas	numas caixas — in some boxes

With de (“of/from”), dum, duma, duns, dumas are standard and especially familiar in European Portuguese. Brazilian usage often keeps the words separate as de um, de uma, particularly in formal writing, although contracted forms also occur. Keeping them separate can also preserve the numerical sense of “one”: preciso de um, não de dois (“I need one, not two”).

Articles and personal description

The choice after ser is not merely a mechanical ban on articles. Compare:

• O Paulo é professor. — Paulo is a teacher. (profession)
• O Paulo é um professor excelente. — Paulo is an excellent teacher. (description/evaluation)
• O Paulo é o professor de português. — Paulo is the Portuguese teacher. (specific identity)

The zero article, indefinite article, and definite article each present the person differently.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master these uses at A1, but they explain several patterns you will meet later.

Approximation before numbers

Plural uns/umas before a number can mean “about” or “approximately”:

• Esperei uns dez minutos. — I waited about ten minutes.
• Custou umas cinquenta libras. — It cost about fifty pounds.
• Havia umas vinte pessoas. — There were about twenty people.

The form follows the gender of the noun understood or stated: uns dez minutos but umas vinte pessoas. This use is very common in everyday speech.

A mildly dismissive or distancing effect

In the right tone, um/uma or uns/umas can mean “some … or other” or distance the speaker from the person or thing:

• Telefonou um senhor. — Some man called.
• Ele anda com uns amigos novos. — He has been hanging around with some new friends.

The grammar itself is neutral; context and intonation create the extra attitude. Do not assume that every use is dismissive.

Indefinite articles with names

A personal name normally does not take an indefinite article when it simply identifies a person. In special contexts, however, um/uma + name can mean an unknown person with that name or a person viewed as an example:

• Ligou uma Daniela. — A woman called Daniela phoned.
• Ele não é um Camões. — He is no Camões. (He is not a writer of Camões’s stature.)

These are expressive extensions, not beginner templates for ordinary introductions.

Generic statements

A singular noun with an indefinite article can represent any member of a class:

• Um bom amigo diz a verdade. — A good friend tells the truth.
• Uma criança precisa de segurança. — A child needs security.

Portuguese can also use definite or plural forms for general statements, with subtle differences in style and focus. At A1, the safest approach is to learn generic examples as complete patterns rather than trying to replace every English generic article directly.

Practice Tips

1. Learn nouns with an article. Record um livro, uma cidade, um problema, and uma mão on flashcards. This makes gender part of the word rather than a fact to retrieve later.
2. Build four-way agreement sets. Start with one phrase such as um amigo simpático and change it to uma amiga simpática, uns amigos simpáticos, and umas amigas simpáticas. Say each form aloud.
3. Practise article choice in short contrasts. Introduce something with um/uma, refer back to it with o/a, and make profession sentences without an article: Vi uma médica. A médica entrou. Ela é médica.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Gender of Nouns — explains why Portuguese nouns select masculine or feminine article forms.