Using Un, Una To Say A/an In Spanish (singular Indefinite Articles)

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Written by qualified Spanish expert Inma Sánchez BALast updated: 2023-08-1344 questionsReport a problem

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Using un, una to say a/an in Spanish (singular indefinite articles)Written by qualified Spanish expert Inma Sánchez BALast updated: 2023-08-1344 questionsTake the fastest path to fluent SpanishJoin now for free!

The article "a/an" in Spanish

Look at these examples.

Ana compra una planta.Ana buys a plant.

Eso es un paraguas.That is an umbrella.

Es un excelente actor.He is an excellent actor.

¡Tengo una idea!I have an idea!

Note that to express a/an + [singular noun] in Spanish, you use either un or una, depending on the gender of the noun it refers to, as follows:

- una for feminine singular nouns- un for masculine singular nouns You can never use uno, instead of un.

Tengo uno coche.

Tengo un coche.

Uno is not an article, but the actual number one, and it works as a pronoun. See also Using numbers as pronouns in Spanish. It is important to remember that in Spanish, like in all Latin languages, every noun is either masculine or feminine.  See also Using el or la to say "the" in Spanish (singular definite articles) and Using los or las to say "the" in Spanish (plural definite articles)

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Learn more about these related Spanish grammar topics

  • Artículo indefinido
  • Gender of nouns in Spanish: masculine
  • Género femenino
  • Singular

Examples and resources

Es un excelente actor.He is an excellent actor.Ana compra una planta.Ana buys a plant.Eso es un paraguas.That is an umbrella.¡Tengo una idea!I have an idea! Kwizbot, a friendly bot Thinking...

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