Spanish Grammar Test: Articles
Indefinite Articles
Useful Grammar
There are two articles in English: the definite article "the" and the indefinite article "a" (an). We use "the" in reference to an object already identified in the minds of those who are speaking (The book is on the table). We use "a" in referring to an object not yet identified in the minds of those speaking. The indefinite article "a" is really a reduced form of the numeral one (There is a man at the door = There is one man at the door).
We use the indefinite article "a" before words beginning with a consonant sound (a book, a chair, a big boy). Before words beginning with a vowel sound, we use "an" (an apple, an ear, an old man).
In Spanish the articles (both definite and indefinite) are adjectives and, as such, precede the noun they modify and agree with it in number and gender.
Definite Articles Table
| Masculine | Feminine | |
| singular | un (a, an) | una (a, an) |
All nouns in Spanish are either masculine or feminine. There are no neuter nouns. Nouns which end in -o are generally masculine.
Nouns which end in -a are generally feminine.
The gender of nouns which do not end in either -o or -a must be memorized.
The indefinite articles in Spanish are un and una. With masculine nouns un is used.
NOTE: For a more detailed discussion on this topic, see our Spanish Grammar Section: Articles.