Indefinite Articles in Spanish

Overview

Indefinite articles in Spanish work like "a," "an," and "some" in English. They introduce nouns that are not specific or are being mentioned for the first time. Spanish has four forms: un, una (singular) and unos, unas (plural), and just like definite articles, they must agree with the noun in gender and number.

At the A1 level, you will use indefinite articles constantly when describing things, introducing people, or talking about quantities. One key difference from English is that Spanish often omits the indefinite article in situations where English requires "a" or "an," particularly with professions and nationalities after the verb ser.

How It Works

The four indefinite articles

	Singular	Plural
Masculine	un (a/an)	unos (some)
Feminine	una (a/an)	unas (some)

When to omit the indefinite article

Spanish drops the article in several cases where English keeps it:

Context	Spanish	English
Professions after ser	Soy médico.	I'm a doctor.
Nationalities after ser	Es española.	She's a Spaniard. / She's Spanish.
With otro/a	Quiero otro café.	I want another coffee.
After negation (general)	No tengo coche.	I don't have a car.
With medio/a	media hora	half an hour
With qué in exclamations	¡Qué sorpresa!	What a surprise!

The article reappears when an adjective modifies the noun: Soy un buen médico ("I'm a good doctor").

Plural forms: unos/unas

The plural forms unos and unas mean "some" or "approximately":

• Unos amigos vienen a cenar. (Some friends are coming to dinner.)
• Hay unas veinte personas. (There are about twenty people.)

Examples in Context

Spanish	English	Note
Un libro está en la mesa.	A book is on the table.	Masculine singular
Una casa con jardín.	A house with a garden.	Feminine singular
Unos amigos míos.	Some friends of mine.	Masculine plural
Unas flores para ti.	Some flowers for you.	Feminine plural
Soy médico.	I'm a doctor.	No article with profession
Es una buena idea.	It's a good idea.	Article used normally
Tengo un hermano y una hermana.	I have a brother and a sister.	Gender agreement
Hay unos treinta estudiantes.	There are about thirty students.	Approximate quantity
No tengo coche.	I don't have a car.	Article omitted in negation
¡Qué día tan bonito!	What a beautiful day!	No article with qué

Common Mistakes

Using the article with unmodified professions

• Wrong: Soy un médico.
• Right: Soy médico.
• Why: After ser, professions without adjectives do not take an indefinite article. Add an adjective and it returns: Soy un buen médico.

Using "un otro" instead of just "otro"

• Wrong: Quiero un otro café.
• Right: Quiero otro café.
• Why: Unlike English "another" (an + other), Spanish never places un/una before otro/otra.

Forgetting gender agreement

• Wrong: Un casa bonita.
• Right: Una casa bonita.
• Why: Casa is feminine, so it takes una, not un. The article and all adjectives must match the noun's gender.

Practice Tips

• Practice professions. Write five sentences using ser with professions, then add adjectives and notice how the article appears: Soy profesor vs. Soy un profesor excelente.
• Use unos/unas for "some." When describing your day, practice using the plural forms: Compré unas manzanas, Vi a unos amigos.
• Compare omission rules with English. Make a list of cases where Spanish drops the article but English keeps it. Reviewing this list regularly builds awareness.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Gender of Nouns