Translation
some, a few (masculine plural)
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Word origin
The masculine plural of un, from Latin unos, from unus ('one'). As a plural indefinite it means 'some, a few'.
- Origin
- Latin
- Root
- unus
- English cognates
- one, unit, union
Examples
estantería.
There are some very interesting books on that bookshelf.
Buenos Aires .
I have a few friends who have lived in Buenos Aires for years.
.
The meeting is going to last about twenty minutes at most.
.
I bought some new shoes for the trip to the mountains.
.
I need a few days off before starting the new project.
is the masculine plural indefinite article in Spanish, the plural of un. It translates roughly as "some" or "a few", marking an unspecified quantity of countable masculine nouns: unos libros (some books), unos amigos (a few friends). English often drops the article in plural ("I bought books"), so learners forget that Spanish keeps it for the same vague-quantity meaning.
Unos also has a quantitative reading meaning "approximately", much like English "about": unos veinte minutos (about twenty minutes), unos diez años (around ten years). The feminine plural counterpart is unas. Before a singular masculine noun starting with stressed a or ha, Spanish uses un (the singular form), but in the plural unos stays the same regardless of the noun's initial sound. See the Spanish articles guide for the full set.
Where this fits
Used in
Stories
(12)Querido Ratoncito Pérez
2 min read · Core 1000
Para gente joven
2 min read · Core 1000
Cuanto más espero, peor
3 min read · Core 5000
Lleva toda la mañana
3 min read · Core 5000
Perdido en la ciudad
3 min read · Core 1000
Mis mensajes son privados
4 min read · Core 5000
Un secreto en Bogotá
4 min read · Core 5000
La lengua de la abuela
5 min read · Core 5000
¡Qué bien hablas español!
5 min read · Core 5000
Sin entrada
5 min read · Core 5000
¿Y vos qué sos?
5 min read · Core 5000
Yo estuve allí
5 min read · Core 5000
Grammar articles
(9)Spanish Adjective Agreement: Endings, Position and BAGS
Advanced Spanish Grammar (C1-C2): Sounding Native
Spanish Articles: el, la, un, una and When to Use Them
Spanish Text Cohesion and Style: Avoiding Repetition
Future and Conditional of Probability in Spanish
Spanish Noun Plurals: -s, -es, -ces and the No-Change Nouns
Spanish Possessive Pronouns: el mío, el tuyo, el suyo
Spanish Quantifiers: mucho, poco, demasiado, todo, cada
Spanish Reciprocal Verbs: How to Say Each Other
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Spanish · Free printables
unos: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Spanish word "unos" (some, a few (masculine plural)): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
This word is taught in chapter 5, lesson 6: unos, cabeza, sacar and 7 more words.