Articles are more common in Spanish than in English. An article is a word used before a noun. In English some examples of articles are: “the”, “a”, or “an”.

1. In Spanish, articles are either: masculine or feminine.¹ Articles are masculine or feminine based on the noun after them. Masculine words do not necessarily have to do with manly objects. It’s simply the way the language works.²

2. In Spanish we’ll see that articles can also be singular or plural depending on the noun following them.
If a something is singular, it means it is "one." If a something is plural, it means it is "more than one."

3. We have definite and indefinite articles in Spanish. In English, the definite article is “the,” while “indefinite articles” are “a,” “an,” and some.”
Definite:
   Pass me the book. (Pass me the specific book.)
Indefinite
   Pass me a book. (Pass me any book.)
   Pass me some books. (Pass me any books.)

Indefinite Articles

There are also four indefinite articles ( “a/an” & “some”)
un – a / an (before masculine, singular noun)

• Tengo un coche muy viejo.
     I have a very old car.
• José es un niño feliz.
     José is a happy child (male).
• ¿Alguien le puede prestar un lápiz a Enrique?
     Can someone lend a pencil to Enrique?

una – a / an (before feminine, singular noun)

• Trabajo en una granja.
     I work on a farm.
• ¿Me das una mano?
     Can you give me a hand?
• Esa es una película muy buena.
     That is a very good movie.

unos – some (before masculine, plural noun)

• Compré unos chocolates para Paulo.
     I bought some chocolate for Paulo.
• Yo traje unos huevos podridos.
     I brought some rotten eggs.
• Yo compré unos collares.
     I bought some necklaces.

unas – some (before feminine, plural noun)

• Buenos días, ¿le importaría que le hiciera unas preguntas?
  Hello, would you mind if I asked some questions.
• Ellos le enviaron unas flores.
     They sent her some flowers.
• Ana tiene unas pestañas muy largas.
     Ana has some very long eyelashes.

  Notas:
  1. Spanish comes from Latin. In Latin, nouns are also masculine and feminine as well as the nouns in the other languages that came from Latin: Portuguese, Italian, & French.
  2. So while for ‘el hombre’ the article is masculine (el), there are many words that have nothing to do with gender in English like “el vestido” (the dress) and “el” is still used because the word ends in ‘o’.
  

Basic Vocabulary

Use Basic Vocabulary

Use Intermediate Vocabulary

Use Advanced Vocabulary

Quizzes

un vs. una

unos vs. unas

Definite vs. Indefinite Article

Use of Indefinite Article with ser