Learn Spanish Part No 6

Learn Spanish Part No 6

Spanish Grammar 

The indefinite article

General use of the indefinite article

In general terms, the use of the singular indefinite article (un / una) to refer to someone or something not yet known or not specifically identified is similar to English

Un nino se me acerco – A boy came to me

The plural forms unos and unas are used with plural nouns in a similar way (often translating English some)

He comprador unos libros – I haved bought some books

The plural forms must also be used with nouns which only exist in plural form, sometimes meaning “a”, or “a pair”.

Unas vacaciones en Italia – a holiday in Italy

Unas trejas – a pair of scissors

The indefinite article with qualified abstract or mass nouns

The article is regularly used before an abstract or mass noun qualified by a following descriptive adjective or relative clause

De aquella fuente sale un agua purism

That spring has very pure water

Por la ventana entraba una luz que cegaba

A blinding light came in through the window

Ommision of the indefinite article

These are a number of circumstances in which the indefinite article is omitted. If this omission results in a noun on its own appearing as the verb;s subject, then this noun must follow the verb –

Caian gotas de lluvia en el tejado – Rain drops were falling on the roof.

Sale humo del motor – Smoke is coming from the engine

Omission of the indefinite article before unqualified mass nouns

The singular indefinite article cannot be used to translate “some” before unqualified mass nouns

Traigame pan, vino y una botella de agua sin gas.

Bring me some bread, some red win and a bottle of still water

Unos – Unas omitied

Although in theory the plural forms unos and unas can be omitted in similar circulations to English “some”, in practice they tend to be omitted only in cases in which the noun does not refer to particular persons or things (especially in sentences that describe habitual actions)

Por aqui pasan trenes cada cinco minutos

Trains pass through here every five minutes

Jorge repara televisiones

Jorge repairs televisions

The omission of unos / unas before a noun that is the subject of the verb is uncommon. Compare English “Scientists have identified the gene that determines eye colour with Spanish – Unos cientificos han identificado el gen guw dtermina el color de ojos.

Unos / Unas replaced by algunos – algunas

Unos and unas are sometimes replaced by the plural forms of the indefitine adjective “alguno” “some”

Algunas madres se preocupan pore so

Some mothers worry about that

Depending on the context, unos / unas may also be replaced by ciertos / ciertas as “certain” varios – variosa “several”, unos / unas, cuantos / cuantas “a number of”, or unos – unas, pocos – pocas (a few)

Omission of the indefinite article with nouns classifying people, animals and things

Sometimes the indefinite article is not used before nouns that indicate profession, occupation, or religious and political affiliation.

This occurs after verbs like ser “to be”, elegir “to elect”, hacerse “to become”, llamar “to call”, nombrar “to name”, calificar de “to describe as”.

Ella es doctora y el es amo de casa

She is doctor and he is a househusband

Lo callificaron de dictador

They described him as a dictactor

Exceptions to this are cases where the noun is qualified

Es conservador y ademas un conservador Intransigente

He is a Conservative and moreover a diehard Conservative

Omission of the indefinite article with nouns in apposition

Like the definite article, the indefinite article is often not used in formal Spanish before a second noun which offers merely exoplanatory information about another one immediately preceding it.

Pasamos la nonce en Medinacel, aldea ahora casi deslerta

We spent the night in Medinaceli, now an almost deserted village

Trabaja como televendedora, empleo que odia

She works as a telesales person, a job she jates

Omission of the indefinite article with certain indefinite adjectives and numerals

The indefinite article is omitted with otro “another”, tal / semajante “such as”, medio “half a”, mil “a thousand”, cien (to) a hundred, “que” (what ) and cierto “a ceratain”.

Hoy la vi con otro chico – Today I saw her with another boy

Que imbecile s Paco – What an idiot Paco is

Omission of the indefinite article after certain prepositions and phases

The indefinite article is almost always omitted before nouns that follow sin “without”, and often after con “with”, “wearing”

Sallo sin chaqueta – He went out without a jacket

Nunca se le ve con sombrero – You never see him wearing a hat

Exceptions are cases where the article is required specifically to emphasize “one” – me dejaron sin un (solo) peso – They left me without a single peso.

When we place someone or something into a category or type, the indefinite article is also omitted after como “as”, like, “por”, for, “as” a modo / manera de, “as” by way of

Como persona liberal no puedo appoyar esto

As a liberal I can’t support this

Ella pasa por Buena directora – She passes for a good director.    

The following video is about the famous Spanish tourist destination Ibiza