Using 'a' and 'an' articles

[Acc3ss]

The other day, I say a couple of sentences in Spanish. These were ..
No soy hombre. Soy mujer.

Now as I understand, the translation should be:
" No soy un hombre. Soy una mujer. "

If you notice, i've used 'un' and 'una' to specify the article 'a' .. but the english translation given at that place was " No soy hombre. Soy mujer. "

My question is how are we supposed to use articles. And, "Hombre" means "man" or "a man" ??

Hope I make sense.

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by Acc3ss

And, "Hombre" means "man" or "a man" ??

Hope I make sense.

You are right to ask - the use of 'a' is not quite the same in English and Spanish. There is a fairly simple exception in Spanish that if you use the verb 'ser' to be, when describing a fundamental property of a person (profession, rank, religion, political affiliation etc.) you omit the 'a'

Elena es profesora
Elena is a teacher.

"Hombre" can mean "man" or "a man" depending on context.

[Acc3ss]

Hmm.. seems ok for now. I'l make a note of it. Thanks


So generally speaking, the translation " No soy un hombre. Soy una mujer. " is incorrect(or atleast is not preferred).. right ?

[poli]

Originally Posted by Acc3ss

Hmm.. seems ok for now. I'l make a note of it. Thanks


So generally speaking, the translation " No soy un hombre. Soy una mujer. " is incorrect(or atleast is not preferred).. right ?

No it's not incorrect. It's emphatic.
You will need to use un/una if the noun is followed by an adjective.
Examples: Soy un hombre guapo.
Soy una mujer bella.

[Acc3ss]

Ah .. okie ..got it .. thanks for clarifying ..

[irmamar]

I'd say "No soy un hombre, soy una mujer". But the one you said is correct, too. Cuestión de gustos o de costumbres, supongo