The plural forms must also be used with nouns which only exist in plural
form (see 2.1.8), sometimes meaning ‘a’ or ‘a pair’:
unas vacaciones en Italia a holiday in Italy
unas tijeras a pair of scissors
The indefinite article with qualified abstract or mass nouns
The article is regularly used before an abstract or mass noun qualified by
a following descriptive adjective or relative clause:
De aquella fuente sale un agua purísima.
That spring has very pure water.
Por la ventana entraba una luz que cegaba.
A blinding light came in through the window.
Omission of the indefinite article
There are a number of circumstances in which the indefinite article is
omitted. If this omission results in a noun on its own appearing as the
verb’s subject, then this noun must follow the verb:
Caían gotas de lluvia en el tejado. Rain drops were falling on
the roof.
Sale humo del motor. Smoke is coming from the
engine.
Omission of the indefinite article before unqualified mass nouns
The singular indefinite article cannot be used to translate ‘some’ before
unqualified mass nouns (compare 3.3.2):
Tráigame pan, vino y una botella de agua sin gas.
Bring me some bread, some red wine and a bottle of still water.
Unos/as omitted
Although in theory the plural forms unosand unascan be omitted in
similar circumstances to English ‘some’, in practice they tend to be omitted
3.3.3.2
3.3.3.1
3.3.3
3.3.2
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
The indefinite
article
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