3.1. Indefinite Articles and Definite Articles
Articles are words that define nouns as specific or nonspecific.
Definite articles are used to talk about defined people or things (ex: the book, the house).
Indefinite articles are used to talk about undefined people or things (ex: a book, a house).
The article goes before the noun and must agree with it in:
- Gender (masculine or feminine)
- Quantity (singular or plural)
3.1.1. Definite Articles
| SINGULAR | PLURAL | |
|---|---|---|
| MASCULINE | Lo | Los |
| FEMININE | La | Las |
Here are some examples of definite articles with the words “libro” and “casa”:
| Lo libro | The book |
| Los libros | The books |
| La casa | The house |
| Las casas | The houses |
3.1.2. Indefinite Articles
| SINGULAR | PLURAL | |
|---|---|---|
| MASCULINE | Uno / Un* | Unos |
| FEMININE | Una | Unas |
The standard and recommended word for the singular form of the masculine indefinite article is "uno". In fact, "un" in Romance languages comes from the Latin "ūnus". Although "un" is considered non-standard in Neolatin, it is the most common form in the main Romance languages. In addition, this form helps to differentiate it from the number "one" in Romance languages ("uno").
Here are some examples of indefinite articles with the words “hòmene” and “fémena”:
| Un hòmene | A man |
| Unos hòmenes | Some men |
| Una fémena | A woman |
| Unas fémenas | Some women |
Common Alternatives for “Unos”
When talking about an indefinite quantity of things that are countable, it is possible to use the indefinite adjectives “alcunos” and “qualques” instead of “unos” to mean "some" or "a few". In fact, these words are more common.
| Alcunos libros | Some books |
| Alcunas personas | Some people |
| Qualques días | Some days |
3.1.3. Partitive Articles
The partitive article is used to refer to an unspecified quantity of an item. For uncountable nouns, it is equivalent to “un pauco de” (a little bit of/some). For countable nouns, it is another way to say “unos” or “alcunos” (some/a few).
| SINGULAR | PLURAL | |
|---|---|---|
| MASCULINE | De lo | De los |
| FEMININE | De la | De las |
| Volería de lo súccaro en lo caffè. | I would like some sugar in the coffee. |
| Hao commesso de los errores. | I have made some mistakes. |
| Hai mangîato de la torta. | I have eaten some cake. |
| Comprai de las fràgulas. | I bought some strawberries. |
3.1.4 Combining Articles and Nouns
When the singular indefinite article or the singular definite article is before a noun that starts with a vowel (or the letter “h”, because “h” is silent in Neolatin), the article can optionally “flow” into the noun with the use of an apostrophe.
| Lo univèrso / L’univèrso | The universe |
| La hora / L’hora | The hour |
| La ísola / L’ísola | The island |
3.1.5. Repeating the Articles
If there is more than one noun listed, both the indefinite article and definite article must be repeated before each noun.
| Lo amico et lo studiante | The friend and the student |
| Un púero et una púera | A boy and a girl |