Indefinite Articles in Catalan

In Brief

Catalan has four indefinite articles: un and una mean “a,” “an,” or “one,” while uns and unes usually mean “some” or “a few.” Choose the form that matches the noun in both gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural): un gat, una dona, uns amics, unes cases.

Overview

An indefinite article introduces a person or thing without identifying one already known to the listener: Busco un hotel means “I’m looking for a hotel,” not a particular hotel that both speakers have already discussed. An article comes before a noun (a word naming a person, place, thing, or idea), sometimes with an adjective between them: una bona idea (“a good idea”).

This is one of the first systems you meet at A1. English has a/an only in the singular, and the choice depends on sound: “a book” but “an idea.” Catalan works differently. Its choice depends mainly on the grammatical gender and number of the noun. A word can be grammatically masculine or feminine even when it names an object with no natural sex: un llibre (“a book”) but una taula (“a table”).

Catalan also has plural indefinite articles. Uns and unes can introduce an unspecified group and often correspond to English “some” or “a few.” They are useful, but they are not compulsory every time English uses “some”: Tinc llibres en català (“I have books in Catalan”) and Tinc uns llibres en català (“I have some books in Catalan”) are both possible, with a small difference in focus.

How It Works

The four basic forms

Gender and number	Article	Basic English equivalent	Example
Masculine singular	un	a, an, one	un gat — a cat
Feminine singular	una	a, an, one	una dona — a woman
Masculine plural	uns	some, a few	uns amics — some friends
Feminine plural	unes	some, a few	unes cases — some houses

The article agrees with its noun. Agreement simply means that related words use matching grammatical forms. First determine whether the noun is masculine or feminine; then determine whether it is singular or plural.

• llibre is masculine singular → un llibre
• cadira is feminine singular → una cadira
• llibres is masculine plural → uns llibres
• cadires is feminine plural → unes cadires

If a plural group contains nouns of different genders, Catalan normally uses the masculine plural form: uns nois i unes noies separates the two groups, but uns nois i noies del curs can refer to boys and girls from the class as one mixed group.

Gender is a property of the Catalan noun

Endings can provide clues, but they are not a complete rule. Many nouns ending in -a are feminine, as in una casa and una finestra. Many nouns ending in a consonant are masculine, as in un gat and un restaurant. However, common exceptions must be learned with the noun:

• un problema — a problem (problema is masculine)
• un dia — a day (dia is masculine)
• una mà — a hand (mà is feminine)
• una nit — a night (nit is feminine)

The most reliable habit is to learn a new noun together with an article: not just mà, but una mà; not just problema, but un problema.

Catalan does not have an “a/an” sound rule

English changes a to an before a vowel sound. Catalan does not make that same switch. Use the gender of the noun even when the noun begins with a vowel or silent h:

• un amic — a male friend
• una amiga — a female friend
• un home — a man
• una hora — an hour
• una escola — a school

In broad standard written Catalan, una remains una in these examples. You may encounter un' representing elision of feminine una in some regional, colloquial, or older writing, especially before words beginning with unstressed a- or ha-. Treat that as a variety-specific form rather than a general beginner spelling rule; una amiga and una habitació are the safe standard forms.

Forming the plural

The plural forms are related transparently to the singular forms:

• un → uns
• una → unes

The noun must become plural too: un amic → uns amics, una casa → unes cases. Do not change only the article. Adjectives that describe the noun also agree: unes cases petites (“some small houses”).

Uns/unes usually draws attention to an unspecified but limited set. Compare:

• Hi ha estudiants a fora. — There are students outside.
• Hi ha uns estudiants a fora. — There are some students outside.

The first classifies the people simply as students. The second presents a particular, still unidentified group. Depending on context, uns/unes may sound like “some,” “a few,” or “a group of.”

Position in the noun phrase

The usual order is:

article + noun + adjective

• un cotxe vermell — a red car
• unes preguntes difícils — some difficult questions

Some common adjectives can come before the noun:

• una bona notícia — some good news / a piece of good news
• un altre dia — another day

Wherever the adjective appears, it does not change which article you need. The noun remains the controlling word: una bona idea, because idea is feminine singular.

After prepositions

Unlike the masculine definite article el, indefinite articles do not form special fused words with prepositions. Write a un, amb una, per uns, and entre unes as separate words. With de, standard apostrophizing gives d'un, d'una, d'uns, and d'unes before the article:

• Parlo amb una veïna. — I’m speaking with a neighbor.
• És la foto d'un amic. — It is a photo of a friend.
• Necessito l'opinió d'una experta. — I need an expert’s opinion.

In d'una, the apostrophe belongs to the shortened preposition de; it does not mean that una itself has become un'.

Examples in Context

Catalan	English	Note
Tinc un gat.	I have a cat.	Masculine singular
La Júlia compra una llibreta.	Júlia is buying a notebook.	Feminine singular
Busquem un hotel barat.	We are looking for a cheap hotel.	The adjective follows the noun
És una pregunta important.	It is an important question.	Feminine article before a consonant
L'Arnau té uns amics a Girona.	Arnau has some friends in Girona.	Masculine plural
Hi ha unes cases antigues al carrer.	There are some old houses on the street.	Article, noun, and adjective are feminine plural
He vist un home a la porta.	I saw a man at the door.	un remains before silent h
Esperarem una hora.	We will wait an hour.	Catalan has no English-style a/an switch
Necessito una altra cadira.	I need another chair.	Standard una altra, without elision
És un problema difícil.	It is a difficult problem.	problema is masculine despite -a
Em fa mal una mà.	One of my hands hurts.	mà is feminine despite its ending
Porten uns pantalons negres.	They are wearing black trousers.	pantalons is normally plural
Comprarem unes pomes i uns plàtans.	We will buy some apples and some bananas.	Separate feminine and masculine groups
Vull parlar amb una professora.	I want to speak with a teacher.	No contraction after amb

Common Mistakes

Choosing the article from the noun’s ending alone

• Wrong: una problema
• Right: un problema
• Why: Endings are clues, not guarantees. Problema is masculine, despite ending in -a.

Copying the English “a/an” distinction

• Wrong: una amic because English says “an” before a vowel
• Right: un amic
• Why: Catalan selects the article by gender and number, not by the following sound. Amic is masculine; amiga is feminine, so say una amiga.

Making the article plural but leaving the noun singular

• Wrong: unes casa
• Right: unes cases
• Why: Article and noun must agree in number. If there is an adjective, it also becomes plural: unes cases blanques.

Using masculine uns for every plural group

• Wrong: uns preguntes
• Right: unes preguntes
• Why: Preguntes is the plural of the feminine noun pregunta, so it needs feminine plural unes.

Apostrophizing una as a general rule

• Wrong in broad standard writing: un'amiga, un'habitació
• Right: una amiga, una habitació
• Why: Standard beginner Catalan normally keeps una before vowels and h. Restricted elided spellings may occur in particular varieties or representations of speech, but they should not be generalized.

Adding an article automatically after ser for a profession

• Less natural as a neutral statement: La Marta és una metgessa.
• Usual: La Marta és metgessa.
• Why: An unmodified profession after ser commonly appears without an article. The article becomes natural when the noun is described or evaluated: La Marta és una metgessa excel·lent (“Marta is an excellent doctor”).

Usage Notes

Indefinite does not simply mean “unknown”

An indefinite phrase can refer to a specific person or thing known to the speaker but not yet identified for the listener: Ahir vaig parlar amb una professora (“Yesterday I spoke with a teacher”). The speaker may know exactly which teacher it was. The article merely avoids presenting that person as already identifiable in the conversation.

After the person or thing has been introduced, Catalan often changes to a definite article on the next mention: Vaig veure un gos. El gos corria pel parc (“I saw a dog. The dog was running through the park”). The first phrase introduces the dog; el gos then refers back to it.

Uns/unes versus no article

Catalan can use a bare plural—a plural noun with no article—when speaking generally or without focusing on a bounded group:

• Venem llibres. — We sell books.
• Venem uns llibres molt interessants. — We sell some very interesting books.

The second sentence presents a particular selection. English “some” is often left untranslated when it merely makes a plural sentence grammatical in English. Do not insert uns/unes mechanically every time you see “some.”

The same caution applies to mass nouns (things normally viewed as substances rather than countable units). Necessito ajuda naturally means “I need help,” with no article. Una ajuda is possible when it means an individual form or act of assistance.

Pronunciation and spoken reduction

In rapid speech, vowels at word boundaries may weaken or merge. That does not always change the standard spelling. Learn the written forms un, una, uns, unes first, then use listening practice to become familiar with how speakers from different regions realize them.

Beyond the Basics: Advanced Use

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

Article or number?

Un/una also means the number “one.” Context and emphasis usually reveal the difference:

• Tinc un germà. — I have a brother / I have one brother.
• No en tinc dos; en tinc un. — I don’t have two; I have one.

In the second sentence, un stands on its own and is clearly numerical. Catalan often uses the pronoun en when the noun has already been mentioned: Vols pomes? En vull unes quantes (“Do you want apples? I want a few”).

Approximation with uns/unes

Before a number or quantity expression, uns/unes can mean “about” or “approximately”:

• Hi havia unes vint persones. — There were about twenty people.
• Costa uns cinquanta euros. — It costs about fifty euros.

The form still agrees with the understood or stated noun: persones is feminine, so unes vint persones; euros is masculine, so uns cinquanta euros.

Evaluative and descriptive force

An indefinite article can make a description sound like a characterization rather than a simple label. Compare:

• És professora. — She is a teacher.
• És una professora molt pacient. — She is a very patient teacher.

It can also intensify an evaluation in conversational language: És una meravella! (“It’s wonderful!” or literally “It’s a marvel!”). This is not a different article; the surrounding noun and tone create the stronger effect.

“A certain” and unidentified people

Catalan can use an indefinite phrase when the speaker deliberately leaves an identity vague: Ha trucat un senyor (“A man called”) or M'ha escrit una tal Clara (“A certain Clara wrote to me”). These patterns are useful for storytelling and for reporting information when the person has not been identified.

Variation in elision

Some descriptions and regional texts record feminine un' before words beginning with unstressed a- or ha-. This does not function as a universal equivalent of English an, and practice varies by dialect, period, and editorial norm. Unless you are following a regional model that explicitly teaches the elided spelling, retain standard una: una amiga, una habitació, una altra oportunitat.

Practice Tips

1. Learn nouns in four-word chunks. Make pairs such as un llibre / uns llibres and una casa / unes cases. This trains gender and plural formation together instead of treating the article as an afterthought.
2. Sort everyday objects by article. Look around a room and list ten items under un or una, then turn each phrase into the plural with uns or unes. Check irregular genders rather than guessing from the ending.
3. Compare plural sentences with and without the article. Build pairs such as Tinc amics aquí and Tinc uns amics aquí. Ask whether you mean a general category or a limited, newly introduced group.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Gender and Number of Nouns — learn how Catalan nouns are classified as masculine or feminine and how their plurals are formed.