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  2.6 Indefinite articles  

Beside the definite articles there are - as also in English - indefinite articles. In English there is (as also applies to the definite article) only one indefinite article a(n). Spanish has two because there is one needed for the feminine nouns and on for the masculine nouns.
Therefore there is una as indefinite article for feminine nouns and un for masculine ones.
Things get clearer when we play a mind game: A man who crosses the street is a friend of my mother. This sentence means that all men that cross the street are friends of my mother. And even if they had known my mother for 20 years they would not be friends unless they cross the street. In comparison: The man who crosses the street is a friend of my mother. This sentence seems quite clear. There is a man (one certain man) crossing the street, and exactly this man is befriend with my mother.
Actually there are no differences in the logic of using the indefinite articles between the Spanish and English. The only challenge here is to remember that for feminine nouns (the ones with the ending -a) get una. The others get un.

el vaso = the glass  
un vaso = a glass  

la vaca = the cow   
una vaca = a cow   


There are also plural forms of indefinite articles unas and unos. They are translated as some and also used the same way the little word some is used in English when meaning an indefinite quantity of something that can be counted. For substances that can not be counted (sand, milk or cream there is another word to be used in Spanish for meaning some. But we will get to this).

las paredes = the walls 
unas paredes = some walls 

los cuchillos = the knives 
unos cuchillos = some knives 


Let's have an overview on all the articles! Even though on first glance it seems a bit strange it's not that difficult as you will see:

  Definite article

SINGULAR

la feminine la casa the house
la luna the moon
la alegría the pleasure
el* masculine el bolígrafo the pencil
el paisaje the landscape
el destino the destiny


PLURAL
las feminine las casas the houses
las lunas the moons
las alegrías the pleasures
los masculine los bolígrafos the pencils
los paisajes the landscape
los regalos the gifts

  Indefinite article

SINGULAR

una weiblich una casa a house
una luna a moon
una alegría a pleasure
un männlich un bolígrafo a pencil
un paisaje a landscape
un destino a destiny

PLURAL

unas weiblich unas casas some houses
unas lunas some moons
unas alegrías some pleasures
unos männlich unos bolígrafos some pencils
unos paisajes some landscapes
unos regalos some gifts

* Please note the article el should not be mixed with the pronoun él. The pronoun always has an accent.

  Example:

él = he

 
él trabaja = he works
el hombre = (the) man






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