artículo indefinido
/aɾtikulo indefinido/from spelling rulesmasculine
To say indefinite article in Spanish, use artículo indefinido. If unsure, use artículo indefinido. Wiktionary also lists artículo indeterminado.
Meaning: word preceding a noun to indicate any member of the class of objects (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| artículo indefinido | /aɾtikulo indefinido/ (from spelling rules) | masculine |
| artículo indeterminado | /aɾtikulo indeteɾminado/ (from spelling rules) |
artículo indefinido is the grammar term for a word like a or an. In Spanish the indefinite articles are Un, Una, Unos and Unas.
Which one should you use?
artículo indeterminado is a synonym for the same concept. The definite article is called artículo determinado.
How does it change in a sentence?
The term itself is masculine. The indefinite article agrees with its noun: Un is masculine singular, Una feminine singular, Unos masculine plural and Unas feminine plural, as in Un día maravilloso, Una casa bonita, Unos libros interesantes and Unas flores hermosas.
How do you pronounce it?
In IPA it is /aɾtikulo indefinido/.
Did you know?
- The word un disappears entirely in Spanish when referring to a profession or religion after the verb 'to be', such as saying soy profesor instead of 'I am a teacher'.
- The Spanish word artículo is a direct descendant of the Latin articulus, which originally meant a 'small joint' or 'member' of a body.
- In Spanish, placing un before a noun that is usually plural can change the meaning to 'a single' or 'only one', creating a strong contrast with the expected plural.
Examples in context
- El uso del artículo indefinido es necesario.The use of the indefinite article is necessary.
- Necesito aprender el artículo indefinido en masculino.I need to learn the indefinite article in masculine.
- Ese es un artículo indefinido muy común.That is a very common indefinite article.
Example conversation
Two students are studying Spanish grammar together.
- LucíaMateo, ¿sabes qué es el artículo indefinido?Mateo, do you know what the indefinite article is?
- MateoSí, Lucía, es como decir 'un' o 'una'.Yes, Lucía, it's like saying 'a' or 'an'.
- LucíaEntonces, ¿este ejemplo lleva artículo indefinido?So, does this example have an indefinite article?
- MateoSí, es correcto usarlo en esa frase.Yes, it is correct to use it in that sentence.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “indefinite article” translations and entries artículo indefinido, artículo indeterminado, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries artículo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
