un
/un/
The Spanish word un means the English phrase "un (phrase)".
When referring to singular feminine nouns, the form changes to una. For plural masculine nouns, use unos and for plural feminine nouns, use unas.
How do you pronounce it?
/un/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, un is often omitted when talking about professions. Instead of saying 'I am a doctor', a speaker says Soy médico, treating the profession as a quality rather than a countable object.
- The word un can be used to express an approximate amount. When used as unos or unas before a number, it transforms the meaning from an exact count to 'about' or 'around'.
- The Spanish word un shares a common ancestor with the English word 'one' through the ancient Proto-Indo-European root *h₁óynos.
Examples in context
- Uno se puede curar a sí mismo de la formación del "sin un-" memorizando esta frase: "Un perro negro estaba persiguiendo a un pequeño conejo a través de un campo verde."One can cure oneself of the "not un-" formation by memorizing this sentence: "A not unblack dog was chasing a not unsmall rabbit across a not ungreen field."Tatoeba #5261605 by albrusgher, translation #3469584 by Objectivesea
- Una vez el cambio social comienza, no es posible dar marcha atrás. No se le puede hacer olvidar a una persona cómo leer. No se puede humillar a una persona que siente orgullo. No se puede oprimir a las personas que ya no sienten miedo.Once social change begins it can not be reversed. You can not un-educate the person who has learned to read. You can not humiliate the person who feels pride. You can not oppress the people who are not afraid anymore.Tatoeba #2424536 by camilou, translation #1508652 by Dejo
- Un libroA book
- Uno de los estudiantesOne of the students
- Un solo argumentoA single argument
- Un amigoA friend
- Uno de mis librosOne of my books
- La profesora necesita un libro para su investigación.The professor needs a book for her research.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and María are at a cafe talking about their day.
- Javier¿Quieres un café, María?Do you want a coffee, María?
- MaríaSí, gracias, Javier.Yes, thank you, Javier.
- JavierAquí tienes un vaso de agua también.Here you have a glass of water too.
- MaríaEres un hombre muy amable.You are a very kind man.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry un, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries un, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
