Definite and Indefinite Articles  


The difference between definite articles and indefinite articles can be observed in the following two sentences:

  • I want a dark blue BMW. (a particular, or definite car)
  • I want a car. (an indefinite car)

The difference between the definite and indefinite articles is the difference between talking about a specific car, or any car.

  • the car
  • a car

In English, the definite article is the word "the" regardless of whether the noun it introduces is singular or plural.

  • the car
  • the cars

In Spanish, the definite article has 4 forms, depending on whether the noun is masculine, feminine, singular or plural.

  • el perro
    the male dog
  • los perros
    the male dogs
  • la perra
    the female dog
  • las perras
    the female dogs
Note: The masculine plural definite and indefinite articles (los, unos) are also used to indicate a group of mixed sex. Therefore, "los perros" could refer to a group of 10 male dogs, or it could refer to a group of 9 female dogs and one male dog.

In English, the indefinite article is the word "a," "an," or "some."

  • a cookie
  • an apple
  • some books

In Spanish, the indefinite article has 4 forms, depending on whether the noun is masculine, feminine, singular or plural.

  • un gato
    a male cat
  • unos gatos
    some male cats
  • una gata
    a female cat
  • unas gatas
    some female cats
Note: Remember, as long as the group of creatures has at least one male member, the masculine plural article is used. Thus, "unos gatos" could refer to a group of 10 male cats, or it could refer to a group of 9 female cats and one male cat.

The 4 forms of the indefinite article are:

un - masculine singular
una - feminine singular
unos - masculine plural
unas - feminine plural

Here are the definite and indefinite articles together:

el, un - masculine singular
la, una - feminine singular
los, unos - masculine plural
las, unas - feminine plural

Each of the following has a different meaning:

  • el gato
    the male cat
  • los gatos
    the male cats (or a mixed group)
  • la gata
    the female cat
  • las gatas
    the female cats
  • un gato
    a male cat
  • unos gatos
    some male cats (or a mixed group)
  • una gata
    a female cat
  • unas gatas
    some female cats

"Un" and "una" can mean "one," "a," or "an."

  • un libro
    one book, a book
  • una pluma
    one pen, a pen
  • una manzana
    one apple, an apple
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Popular Phrase: comer algo   | Kids' Spanish Resources
Conjugated Verb: prevalecer - to prevail [ click for full conjugation ]