Artículo Indefinido - Indefinite Article
In English there are two indefinite articles:
a (or an)
some
In Spanish there are four indefinite articles:
| Un | Singular (male) | a man | un hombre | |
| Una | Singular (female) | a door | una puerta | |
| Unos | Plural (male) | some checks | unos cheques | |
| Unas | Plural (female) | some windows | unas ventanas |
Remember in Spanish:
The indefinite article must agree with the gender of the noun
The indefinite article usually refers to an unspecified person or thing.
Quiero un libro - I want a book.
Tiene una idea - He has an idea.
The indefinite article can also refer to just one of something:
Hay un estudiante en la sala - There is one student in the room.
The plural indefinite article means some:
Compré unas naranjas - I bought some oranges.
When refering to a person's profession, the indefinite is not used in Spanish, although it is used in English.
Soy profesor - I am a teacher.
Ana quiere ser médica - Ana wants to be a doctor.
If unos or unas is used before an item that exists in the plural to refer to a single object (as "pants" or "glasses" in English), the article can mean "one" or "one pair":
Necesito unas tijeras. I need a pair of scissors.
Because many Spanish nouns and adjectives are not different, use of un or una indicates that the noun is meant:
Juan es cobarde John is cowardly Juan es un cobarde John is a coward.
Using unos or unas before a number means "approximately"
El terremoto duró unos veinticinco segundos. The earthquake lasted approximately
twenty five seconds.