Artigo indefinido e suas contrações
Artigo indefinido e suas contrações means “Indefinite article and its contractions”. The indefinite article agrees in gender and number: um (masculine singular), uma (feminine singular), uns (masculine plural), and umas (feminine plural). Formation: um / uma / uns / umas; em+um=num, em+uma=numa; de+um=dum, de+uma=duma
Indefinite article and its contractions
A2Formation
um / uma / uns / umas; em+um=num, em+uma=numa; de+um=dum, de+uma=duma
Explanation
The indefinite article agrees in gender and number: um (masculine singular), uma (feminine singular), uns (masculine plural), and umas (feminine plural). In the plural, uns/umas mean 'some' or 'a few' — Comprei uns livros = 'I bought some books', a plural indefinite that English does not have as an article. With the prepositions em and de, the article often contracts: em + um/uma = num/numa, em + uns/umas = nuns/numas, and de + um/uma = dum/duma. The num/numa forms are standard, while dum/duma are optional in writing but very common in speech (Preciso dum favor). Portuguese also drops the indefinite article before unmodified nouns of profession, religion, or nationality (Ela é professora, Ele é brasileiro) and after que in exclamations (Que dia lindo!). Unlike Spanish un/una, Portuguese contracts em + article into num/numa, a form Spanish has no equivalent for.
Examples
Note
Careful: Spanish contracts nothing here (en un apartamento), so num/numa/dum/duma are unique to Portuguese — saying 'em um apartamento' in speech sounds odd. In speech, dum/duma are everywhere, but in formal writing many still prefer de um / de uma.
FAQ
Artigo indefinido e suas contrações — what does it mean and how is it used?
Indefinite article and its contractions. The indefinite article agrees in gender and number: um (masculine singular), uma (feminine singular), uns (masculine plural), and umas (feminine plural). In the plural, uns/umas mean 'some' or 'a few' — Comprei uns livros = 'I bought some books', a plural indefinite that English does not have as an article. With the prepositions em and de, the article often contracts: em + um/uma = num/numa, em + uns/umas = nuns/numas, and de + um/uma = dum/duma. The num/numa forms are standard, while dum/duma are optional in writing but very common in speech (Preciso dum favor). Portuguese also drops the indefinite article before unmodified nouns of profession, religion, or nationality (Ela é professora, Ele é brasileiro) and after que in exclamations (Que dia lindo!). Unlike Spanish un/una, Portuguese contracts em + article into num/numa, a form Spanish has no equivalent for.
Artigo indefinido e suas contrações — how do you form it?
um / uma / uns / umas; em+um=num, em+uma=numa; de+um=dum, de+uma=duma
Artigo indefinido e suas contrações — any usage notes?
Careful: Spanish contracts nothing here (en un apartamento), so num/numa/dum/duma are unique to Portuguese — saying 'em um apartamento' in speech sounds odd. In speech, dum/duma are everywhere, but in formal writing many still prefer de um / de uma.