Spanish Articles with Food Vocabulary #539

Last Updated on 22/09/2025 by SpanishUnicorn

I’m sending this little Spanish lesson to a new friend I met at the dentist – hope it comes in handy! It focuses on Spanish articles with food vocabulary, which is always a fun and useful topic. I’ll try to record the audio soon, since I know it makes everything easier to remember.

Spanish Articles – What are un, una, unos, unas and el, la, los, las?

In Spanish, we use articles before nouns (like “the” or “a” in English).
There are two types:

Indefinite Articles (when talking about something general or not specific)

These mean “a” / “an” / “some” in English.

Use these when you’re talking about any item, not a specific one:
→ Quiero una naranja. → I want an orange (not a specific one, just any orange).

Definite Articles (when talking about something specific)

These mean “the” in English.

Use these when you’re talking about a specific item or something already known:
→ Voy a comprar la manzana roja. → I’m going to buy the red apple.

How to know if it’s masculine or feminine?

Most of the time:

• Words ending in -o → masculine → use un / el
  (el tomate, un plátano)
• Words ending in -a → feminine → use una / la
  (la naranja, una manzana)

But there are exceptions! So it’s good to learn each noun with its article.

Quick Tips for Learners:

1. Always say the article with the noun when learning new words.
   una lechuga, el melón, unas uvas
2. Plural? Use unos / unas (indefinite), or los / las (definite).
    unos tomates, las cebollas

Frutas y verduras

En el mercado / En la tienda

Useful phrases for shopping at the market or shop

Spanish Sentences with Articles – With English Translation

1. Quiero un café, por favor.
   → I want a coffee, please.
2. Necesito una chaqueta.
   → I need a jacket.
3. Compramos unos libros nuevos.
   → We’re buying some new books.
4. Hay unas chicas en la tienda.
   → There are some girls in the shop.
5. El coche está en la calle.
   → The car is on the street.
6. La casa es muy bonita.
   → The house is very pretty.
7. Los estudiantes están en clase.
   → The students are in class.
8. Las manzanas están en la mesa.
   → The apples are on the table.
9. Un niño juega en el parque.
   → A boy is playing in the park.
10. Una mujer habla por teléfono.
    → A woman is talking on the phone.

Ejercicios relacionados

1. Artículos definidos
2. Muchos ejercicios para A1.