The Spanish Indefinite Articles
Un, Una, Unos, Unas

Explanation

     All nouns in Spanish have a specific gender. They could either be masculine or feminine. Typically, nouns ending in -o are masculine, such as libro (book) and muchacho (boy). 
     Nouns ending in -a are typically feminine, such as mesa (table) and muchacha (girl). In Spanish, there are four indefinite articles: un, una, unos, and unas. Un and una are used with masculine nouns and feminine nouns respectively. For example, un muchacho (a boy) and una muchacha (a girl).   
   Unos and unas are used with masculine-plural (more than one), and feminine plural (more than one) respectively. For example, unos muchachos (some boys) and unas muchachas (some girls).

More Examples

Masculine-Singlular

  • un piano (a piano)
  • un perro (a dog)
  • un amigo (a friend)
  • un zapato (a shoe)
  • un regalo (a present)

Feminine-Singular

  • una casa (a house)
  • una ventana (a window)
  • una mochila (a backpack)
  • una pelota (a ball)
  • una guitarra (a guitar)

Masculine-Plural

  • unos pianos (some pianos)
  • unos perros (some dogs)
  • unos amigos (some friends)
  • unos zapatos (some shoes)
  • unos regalos (some presents)

Feminine-Singular

  • unas casas (some houses)
  • unas ventanas (some windows)
  • unas mochilas (some backpacks)
  • unas pelotas (some balls)
  • unas guitarras (some guitars)

Some Irregular Cases

  • una mano (a hand)
  • una foto (a photo)
  • una moto (a motorcycle)
  • un deportista (a male athlete)/una deportista (a female athlete)
  • un tenista (a male tennis player)/una tenista (a female tennis player)

Audio

Listen to this audio clip to check your answers. Repeat after me to practice your pronunciation.

Grammar Practice