Spanish does not use algunoto translate ‘some’ or ‘any’ before nouns which
cannot be counted:
Vamos a comprar pan. We are going to buy some bread.¿Quieres leche? Do you want any milk?
When algunois placed after a noun in a negative sentence it carries the
meaning of ‘no’ and is equivalent to ninguno:
No hay motivo alguno. There is no reason at all.
en modo alguno not in the slightest
Notes:
1 The phrase alguno(or algún) que otro/alguna que otrais used in the singular
to mean ‘a few’, ‘the occasional’: Alguna que otra cigüeña anida allí ‘An occa-
sional stork nests there’.
2 Algunais often shortened in speech (but usually not in writing) before a femi-
nine noun beginning with a stressed aor ha: algún arma‘some weapon’.Uno
In addition to its use as a numeral and indefinite article (see 23.1.1 and
3.3), unoin the plural is found with the meaning of ‘some’, ‘a few’. It is
often followed by cuantos/asor pocos/asin the plural:
Comimos unas enchiladas riquísimas.
We ate some delicious enchiladas.Había unos cuantos libros en la estantería.
There were a number of books on the shelf.
Note: Unoand algunoare sometimes interchangeable but never before the prepo-
sition de. In the singular uno/a + de is the norm: Salí con uno de mis amigos‘I went
out with one of my friends’, but in the plural it is replaced by algunos/as + de: Salí
con algunos de mis amigos.
Placed before a cardinal numeral, the plural forms unos/unas indicate
approximation (see 23.1):
Tiene unos veinte años. He is about twenty years old.
In the singular uno/ais used to signify the indefinite ‘one/you’, sometimes
with implied 1st person plural reference:
–A veces una se preocupa– dijo Teresa.
‘One sometimes worries,’ said Teresa.9.4
1111
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1011
1
12111
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
20111
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
30111
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
40
41111
9
Indefinite
adjectives,
pronouns and
adverbs