To say “some” correctly in Spanish, you’ll need to know how to choose between a few options. Learn the difference between algún, alguna, algunos, algunas and when to stick with the indefinite Spanish articles unos/unas or expressions like algo de.
Pay attention to how often you use the word “some” to discuss an unspecified quantity of something. It probably flows naturally in your first language. This guide will help you communicate “some” in Spanish just as fluidly with illustrative examples and a list of expressions that include the word “some.”
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How do you say ‘some’ in Spanish?
“Some” can refer to an undefined amount of something. The basic options for “some” in Spanish are adjectives, so they agree in grammatical gender and number with the nouns that follow.
- algunos (masculine plural)
- Algunos estudiantes practican un deporte, pero no todos. = Some students play a sport, but not all of them.
- algunas (feminine plural)
- Algunas mujeres respondieron a la invitación. = Some women responded to the invitation.
- alguna (feminine singular)
- Necesito alguna manera de escribirlo = I need some way to write it down.
- algún (masculine singular)
- ¿Tienes algún tiempo mañana por la tarde?” = Do you have some time tomorrow afternoon?
These adjectives follow Spanish grammar rules by matching the noun they precede in both gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural). Algún has a slight change in spelling that differs from the patterns of other nouns.
unos/unas
Another way to say “some” is to use the indefinite articles unos and unas. These plural indefinite articles work well for unspecified and non-specific nouns, but if you’re putting a bit more emphasis that it’s “some” of a particular group, algunos would work better.
- Voy a comprar unos ingredientes para la pizza. = I’m going to buy some ingredients for the pizza.
- Unas chicas llamaron a la puerta para vender galletas. = Some girls knocked at the door to sell cookies.
When to use los vs. unos
Both of these words are masculine plural, but los (the) is a definite article. Use los when the Spanish nouns you’re referring to are known and specific to the listener.
Imagine you’re looking for a group of books.
- Estoy buscando los libros para mi clase. = I’m looking for the books for my class. (You need specific books.)
- Estoy buscando unos libros para mi viaje. = I’m looking for some books for my trip. (You know you want to read, but you don’t have any particular books in mind yet.)
Unos (some) indicates that the noun is general, so you’re not referring to any specific group of things, just any examples of that category.
What is another word for ‘some’ in Spanish?
There are a few related words to master now that you know the main ways to say “some” in Spanish. You’ll encounter these words in Spanish communication of all kinds. With Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion method, you can learn the differences naturally as you’re exposed to them in the ways that people talk in real life.
These words for unspecified quantities will be really helpful when you’re explaining how to cook a dish that you’ve made many times, or if you’re estimating how many people were at a fun event.
| Spanish Word | English Meaning |
| algo de | a bit of |
| alrededor de | around/approximately |
| aproximadamente | approximately/roughly |
| ciertos/ciertas | certain |
| unos cuantos | some |
| un poco de | a little bit of |
| varios | several/various |
‘Get some rest’ and other Spanish expressions with ‘some’
Many times the word “some” will appear in a set phrase or expression in English. You only translate the word “some” in certain situations.
| Spanish Phrase | English Meaning |
| a veces | sometimes |
| algo | something |
| alguien | someone |
| algún día | some day |
| algún sitio | somewhere |
| de alguna manera | somehow |
| de una u otra forma | some way or another |
| descansa un poco | get some rest |
| en algún momento | at some point |
| el alguna parte | someplace |
| en cierta medida | to some degree |
| en otra ocasión | at some other time |
| hace tiempo | some time ago |
| hasta cierto punto | to some extent |
| por algún motivo | for some reason |
| por puro milagro | by some miracle |
| y hasta más | and then some |
If you want to know how to learn Spanish expressions the easy way, try using these phrases regularly in several interesting contexts. That way, you’ll remember them better than if you try to memorize them in isolation.
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