How To Use ‘Un’ and ‘Una’ in Spanish (or Leave Them Out)

These indefinite articles are equivalents of ‘a’ or ‘an’

Casa de Europa
¡Qué casa! (What a house!).

Feans /Creative Commons.

If you listen to oldies music, you may recall one of the sentences of a popular Spanish-language dance tune: Yo no soy marinero, soy capitán, soy capitán. Translated, that would be, "I am not a mariner, I am a captain, I am a captain."

That sentence indicates one of the differences between Spanish and English. Although English requires the word "a" before "mariner" and "captain," Spanish doesn't require an equivalent word, which in this case would be un.

Un and Una Classified as Indefinite Articles

"A" and "an" are known to grammarians as indefinite articles, and the Spanish equivalents are un (used before masculine nouns and noun phrases) and una (feminine). Using the Spanish indefinite articles when they aren't needed is one of the pitfalls for many beginning Spanish students. Say "no soy un marinero, soy un capitán," and it would sound as awkward (and improper) as one possible translation into English: "I am not one mariner, I am one captain."

Generally speaking, whenever you use un or una in Spanish, you need to use "a" or "an" to say the equivalent in English. But the reverse isn't true. The appearance is that Spanish frequently "omits" the indefinite articles.

Omitting Articles With Ser

Don't use the indefinite article before an unmodified noun after a form of ser ("to be"), especially in reference to occupation, religion, affiliation, or social status. Normally, if the noun is modified, the article should be used:

  • Soy profesor. (I am a teacher.)
  • Él es un buen dentista. (He is a good dentist. Here, dentista is modified by buen.)
  • ¿Eres católica? —No, soy una metodista feliz. ("Are you a Catholic?" "No, I'm a happy Methodist." Metodista is modified by feliz, but the unmodified católica stands alone.)
  • Es artista. (She is an artist.)
  • Es una artista que muere de hambre. (She is a starving artist.)

Omitting Articles With Otro

A common mistake made by English speakers is to use un otro or una otra for "another." Otro/otra stands by itself.

  • Quisiera otra taza. (I would like another cup.)
  • Compró otro coche. (She bought another car.)
  • Quiero viajar a otra ciudad chilena. (I want to visit another Chilean city.)

Omitting Articles With Certain Large Numbers

The numbers mil (1,000) and cien (100) do not need the article. Mil and cien already refer to one thousand and one hundred, respectively.

  • Gana mil dólares por mes. (He earns a thousand dollars per month.)
  • Tiene cien años. (She is a hundred years old.)
  • Hay mil maneras de cambiar el mundo. (There are a thousand ways to change the world.)

Omitting Articles In Exclamations Using Que

In exclamations such as "¡Qué sorpresa!" (What a surprise!), there's no need to put anything between the que and the following noun.

  • ¡Qué lástima! (What a shame!)
  • ¡Qué casa! (What a house!)
  • ¡Qué diferencia hace un día! (What a difference a day makes!)

Omitting Articles With Some Prepositions

After sin (without), the article is usually omitted unless the speaker is emphasizing the utter lack of something:

  • Escribe sin ordenador. (He writes without a computer.)
  • La ciudad tendrá un máximo de 30 grados sin posibilidad de lluvia. (The city will have a high of 30 degrees without a possibility of rain.)
  • La cantante compartió fotos sin una gota de maquillaje. (The singer shared photos of herself without a single touch of makeup. It would be grammatically correct to leave out the una, but its inclusion puts emphasis on the utter lack of makeup.)

The article is usually omitted after con (with) when con has a meaning similar to English words or phrases such as "wearing" or "equipped with." When con can be translated as "using," the article is typically omitted if the object is being used in an ordinary way.

  • El bebé come con cuchara. (The baby eats with a spoon. This is the ordinary use for a spoon, while the use in the next sentence isn't.)
  • El preso se escapó de la cárcel con una cuchara. (The prisoner escaped from the jail with a spoon.)
  • Vestir con zapato plano y obtener un resultado de 10 es posible. (Dressing with flat shoes and getting a 10 is possible. Contrast this sentence with the following example, where the shoe isn't being worn.)
  • Sé como abrir una botella con una zapato. (I know how to open a bottle with a shoe.)

Omitting Articles After Certain Verbs

The article is frequently omitted after forms of tener (to have), comprar (to buy), llevar (to wear), and some other verbs when generically referring to things that people would normally have or use one at a time.

  • No tengo coche. (I don't have a car.)
  • Lleva camisa. (He is wearing a shirt.)
  • Vamos a comprar casa. (We're going to buy a house.)
  • ¿Tiene madre? (Does he have a mother?)

Including the Indefinite Article When English Doesn’t

Finally, there is one case where we don't use the indefinite article in English where it's needed in Spanish. In a series of two or more words joined by "and," we often leave out the "a" or "an," but when using y in Spanish the un or una is used to avoid ambiguity. In English we might say "a cat and dog," for example, but in Spanish it must be un gato y un perro. Without the second un, the phrase would be understood as referring to one creature, a cross between a cat and dog. Note the distinction in these sentences:

  • Conozco a un artista y un dentista. (I know an artist and I know a dentist.)
  • Conozco a un artista y dentista. (I know a dentist who is also an artist.)

Key Takeaways

  • Although un and una are the equivalent of "one," they are often better translated as "a" or "an."
  • Most of the time that Spanish uses un or una before a noun, the corresponding English sentence can be translated using "a" or "an."
  • The opposite, however, is not always true, as there are many times that an "a" or "an" is left untranslated in Spanish.
Format
mla apa chicago
Your Citation
Erichsen, Gerald. "How To Use ‘Un’ and ‘Una’ in Spanish (or Leave Them Out)." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/singular-indefinite-articles-3079098. Erichsen, Gerald. (2023, April 5). How To Use ‘Un’ and ‘Una’ in Spanish (or Leave Them Out). Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/singular-indefinite-articles-3079098 Erichsen, Gerald. "How To Use ‘Un’ and ‘Una’ in Spanish (or Leave Them Out)." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/singular-indefinite-articles-3079098 (accessed March 19, 2024).