Un vs una in Spanish: which ‘a’ to use
Spanish has two words for “a” or “an”. Use un with masculine nouns and una with feminine nouns. The choice follows the gender of the noun, exactly like the definite article el and la, so the best habit is to store each noun with its gender from the start.
| The word “a / an” | Use with | Example |
|---|---|---|
un |
masculine singular noun | un libro, un cochea book, a car |
una |
feminine singular noun | una mesa, una casaa table, a house |
Use the noun’s gender, not the English
English “a” gives you no clue about gender, so you read it off the Spanish noun. Endings help with a first guess: most -o nouns are masculine and most -a, -ción, -dad nouns are feminine.
un perro, un problema, un hotel
a dog, a problem, a hoteluna flor, una canción, una ciudad
a flower, a song, a city
Un before a stressed a-sound, still feminine
A feminine noun that begins with a stressed a- or ha- takes un in the
singular for easier pronunciation, but it stays feminine.
un águila, un área pequeña
an eagle, a small area
Notice the adjective keeps the feminine form: un área pequeña, not un área pequeño.
Unos and unas mean “some” or “a few”
Spanish has a plural of the indefinite article. Unos and unas translate as
“some”, “a few” or “a couple of”.
unos libros, unas mesas
some books, some tablesTengo unas preguntas.
I have a few questions.
When Spanish drops “a” entirely
Spanish often leaves out un / una before an unmodified profession or after
no… ningún. This is normal, not an error.
Soy profesora.
I am a teacher.No tengo coche.
I don’t have a car.
Common mistakes
Matching the article to the English word
The gender comes from the Spanish noun, never from “a / an”.
una problema→ un problema
a problem
Using una before a stressed a-sound
A stressed a- at the start pulls in un, even for a feminine noun.
una águila→ un águila
an eagle
Adding “a” before a plain profession
After ser, an unmodified job usually drops the article.
Ella es una doctora.→ Ella es doctora.
She is a doctor.
The masculine/feminine split here is the same one you meet with the definite article el vs la; once the gender is set, it also drives possessive choices like mi, tu, su. In Fluera you see the article and noun together in real sentences, so the gender sticks as one unit. Try that when you practice Spanish rather than learning genders from a bare list.
Practice
Un or una?
Question 1 of 10
Frequently asked questions
When do I use un and when una in Spanish?
un before a masculine noun and una before a feminine noun: un libro, una mesa. The gender of the noun decides, so learn each noun with its gender; endings help, since most -o nouns are masculine and most -a, -ción and -dad nouns are feminine.Why is it "un águila" if águila is feminine?
un in the singular just for sound: un águila, un área. The noun stays feminine, so the adjective is feminine too: un área pequeña.