Definite and Indefinite Articles in Spanish

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. Thus, “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.

The 4 forms of the definite article are:

el
masculine singular
la
feminine singular
los
masculine plural
las
feminine plural

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

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

un perro
a male dog
unos perros
some male dogs
una perra
a female dog
unas perras
some female dogs

Note: Remember, as long as the group of creatures has at least one male member, the masculine plural article is used. Thus, “unos 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.

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

Example sentences:

1. Por favor dame una manzana. = Please, give me an apple.
2. Miren la zebra. = Look at the zebra.
3. Estamos comiendo unos burritos. = We are eating some burritos.
4. ¿Te gusta el queso? = Do you like cheese?
5. Hoy vamos a ver unas casas. =Today we're going to see a few houses.
6. Los chicos ya han comido. = The kids have already eaten.
7. Las mujeres no tienen bebés. = The women don't have babies.

TVSS