The indefinite article in Spanish phraseology: a functional-stylistic analysis

The functional and stylistic role of the indefinite article in Spanish idioms and phraseological phrases

The indefinite article in Spanish (un, una in units, unos, unas in many parts) is one of the key elements involved in shaping the meaning of utterances. Its use in idioms and phraseological phrases is of particular interest, since it is in stable expressions that the article often acquires expressive functions and stylistic shades that go beyond the basic grammatical meaning. Previous studies have focused on historical evolution and diachronic changes in the use of the indefinite article. However, in this work, the emphasis is shifted to a functional and stylistic analysis of the role of the indefinite article in Spanish phraseological units ^{[1; p. 55]}.

Relying on modern linguistic approaches allows us to rethink the function of the article. Within the framework of psychosystematics, the article is considered as a tool for "referential characterization", this term means a grammatical determination operation that sets the referential profile of a name in an utterance (degree of individualization and identifiability, segmentation/particularity, setting a sample for comparison, representing an event as a one-time event, designating a minimum number, distributing a multitude) ^{[2; p. 120]}. The term does not refer to a qualitative predicative characteristic of features, but describes precisely the referential status of the nominative group ^{[3; p. 176]}. Following this theory, the indefinite article introduces an unindividualized image of an object (person) into speech ^{[4; pp. 115-117]}, that is, it represents a new concept, mentioned for the first time, acting in the communicative structure of the utterance. Guillaume's theory of the article offers a transcendental way of explaining the role of the indefinite article, emphasizing its role in bringing new information to the fore of speech. In other words, the indefinite article is associated with the particularization of an image (representing an object outside the class as one of the possible ones), while the definite article is associated with its identification (distinguishing an object from the class as a specific one). This functional dichotomy underlies the operation of the article mechanism and determines the difference in grammatical meanings ^{[5; 115]}.

The purpose of this article is a comprehensive description of the functions of the indefinite article in Spanish idioms and phraseological phrases, as well as the definition of its stylistic potential. The work takes into account the provisions of modern and traditional Spanish studies (studies by H. Pozas-Loyo, N. I. Popova, E. Alarcos Llorac, etc.), as well as normative information presented in the fundamental "New Grammar of the Spanish Language" of the Spanish Royal Academy. This approach provides a theoretical basis and terminological accuracy of the analysis. The main grammatical properties of the indefinite article are discussed below, then a classification of phraseological units with its participation is proposed and a detailed analysis of each group is carried out for the functional and stylistic features of the article.

Indefinite article in Spanish: theoretical foundations

In Spanish, the indefinite article is a grammatical unit that evolved from the numeral "one" and has not yet completely lost its connection with its original meaning ^{[6; p. 87]}. This fact determines the variety of its uses: unlike the definite article, which has reached a high degree of abstraction, the indefinite article retains a number of lexical shades, demonstrating the flexibility of functions in different speech contexts ^{[7; p. 56]}. This is especially evident in the material of idiomatic and phraseological expressions, where the indefinite article often plays a central role in the formation of unique semantic shades: adding generality, a shade of uncertainty or emphasizing the typicality of the described situation. In other words, in stable phrases, the indefinite article is far from being a neutral element, but an active marker capable of modifying the meaning of a phrase ^{[8; p. 5]}.

Clarifying the scope of the concept

One of the key functions of the indefinite article is to indicate the uniqueness of an object from a number of similar ones, that is, to single out "one of many" ^{[9; p. 128]}. With the help of the indefinite article, the speaker distinguishes one instance from the set, without completely individualizing it, but also without referring to the already known. Many Spanish phraseological units retain this shade of the original quantitative meaning ^{[8; p. 5]}. For example, the expression "buscar una aguja en un pajar" – "to look for a needle in a haystack" – illustrates how una and un point to a single object (needle) and a single object (haystack) as part of a set ^{[10; p. 347]}. In this turn, the article not only says that we are talking about one needle among many straws, but also metaphorically emphasizes the extreme difficulty of the task (to find something small in the vast). The article acts in a similar way in the idiom "una gotha de agua en el mar" ("drop in the sea"): una emphasizes the singleness of the "drop" against the background of the endless sea, reinforcing the meaning of insignificance and large-scale contrast. Thus, the function of pointing to "one of many" allows the indefinite article to generalize the concept, while preserving the idea of quantitative limitation of the object.

An expression of concreteness/generality.

Another important role of the indefinite article is to control the degree of subjectivity (concreteness) or, conversely, the non–visibility (generality) of what is being discussed ^{[11; pp. 132-137]}. Depending on the presence or absence of the article, the phenomenon can be represented either as a specific isolated case or as a general, abstract state. A pair example is indicative in this regard: estar en grito and estar en un grito. The phrase "estar en grito" (literally: "to be in a scream") without the article, it is used in the meaning "to be widely known, to be heard by everyone", that is, it describes a state of a general, indefinite nature ^{[10; p. 602]}. The absence of the indefinite article signals that we are talking about an abstract, widespread phenomenon (in a figurative sense – "everyone is talking", "everyone is discussing"). On the contrary, the addition of the indefinite article radically changes the meaning: "estar en un grito" means "to cry out in pain, to scream at the top of your voice" ^{[12; p. 88]}. In this phrase, the article un seems to specify the condition, indicating a particular case or moment of extreme pain. In other words, it individualizes the situation (not just shouting in general, but referring to the specific cry of a particular person at the moment), while enhancing its emotional expression. This example clearly demonstrates how the indefinite article allows you to manipulate the level of detail: without it, the expression remains at the level of a generalized phenomenon, with it it is transferred to the level of a specific manifestation. In general, such a function of the indefinite article makes it possible to subtly change the focus of an utterance, from a general plan to a particular one, depending on the communicative task. Such an opposition of the general and the particular largely correlates with the dichotomy of the "typical/variable" state, noted in studies of categories of certainty ^{[13; p. 38]}.

Expression of a subjective assessment

The indefinite article also serves as a means of expressing the speaker's subjective attitude to the described subject or situation. In combination with the verb ser, constructions of the form "ser + un, una, unos, unas + noun" acquire evaluative and emotional coloring, often acting as a nominal predicative, which contains a personal assessment. Such expressions allow the speaker to convey his perception of the object without additional epithets – the indefinite article assumes the role of an evaluative marker. A classic example is the exclamation "¡Es un asco!", literally: "this is an abomination." The speaker thus characterizes something as "trash, filth," and the use of the indefinite article emphasizes precisely personal emotional rejection, aversion to the object. The article makes the negative characterization more subjectively colored: es asco without the article is not used at all, whereas the variant with the indefinite article carries a tinge of indignation, emotionally reinforcing the negative assessment. For a positive assessment, we can give an example from Latin American Spanish: "¡Es un mamey!" – literally "this is mamey (fetus)", which in the Dominican version means "easy to spit". Here, the indefinite article also enhances the characterization: the speaker expresses his subjective belief that the case is not difficult. In both cases, the ser + un + X construction enriches the utterance with a shade of emotional assessment, whether sharply negative or hyperbolically positive, without additional words, only due to the grammatical form ^{[14; p. 75]}. Thus, in such phrases, the indefinite article performs an emphatic function, allowing the language to convey the speaker's individual perception in a concise form.

Syntactic relations and utterance structure

Finally, the indefinite article can participate in the design of syntactic connections within an utterance, fulfilling an official role, partly analogous to case indication or the distribution of subject-object relations. In Spanish, where there is no case system, the article often takes on the function of a copula, showing how the parts of the phrase relate to each other. Of particular interest is the distributive construction with the opposition of un/otro ("one/the other"), where the indefinite article helps to break the situation into paired elements ^{[15; p. 210]}. For example, the idiom "Le entró por un oído y le salió por el otro" means "(it) entered one ear and came out of the other," meaning "he missed everything." Here, the indefinite article before the word oído ("ear") introduces the first part of the juxtaposition, clearly indicating that it means "one of the two" ears without specifying which one. Thanks to this article, the phrase acquires a clear structure: information enters through one indefinite ear and exits through the other (specified by the definite article el otro). The use of the indefinite article emphasizes the randomness of the choice – it is not important which ear "did not hear", but that the effect is the same on either side. Thus, the indefinite article clearly distinguishes the two parts of the utterance, performing a connecting grammatical function and facilitating the understanding of the construction. A similar phenomenon is observed in other stable combinations: for example, "un pie tras otro" – "one foot after the other" – where un before pie marks the beginning of a sequential action. In these cases, the article actually signals the syntactic relation of sequence or distribution, linking the components of phraseology into a single meaningful whole.

Thus, the examples of phraseological units clearly show that the indefinite article in Spanish is a multifunctional tool capable of subtly influencing the meaning of an utterance ^{[3; p. 76]}. It is not limited to a single grammatical role, but acts as a quantitative generalizing function, then as a marker of a specific case, then as a carrier of a subjective assessment, then as a connecting element of the structure. This multidimensional approach is due to the fact that the process of grammaticalizing the indefinite article has not yet been completed, and these forms retain the ability to act as articles, pronouns, and numerals in different contexts. It is important for the researcher to take into account this polyfunctionality ^{[16; p. 152]}. In the context of Spanish idioms, the presence or absence of the indefinite article often determines the meaning of the entire expression: a comparison of the variants shows how much contribution even such a seemingly insignificant element makes to the formation of idiomatic meaning. Thus, the analysis of the functions of the indefinite article through the prism of phraseology allows for a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of semantic dynamics of language and the need for a fine differentiation of its grammatical and semantic roles.

Classification of phraseological units with indefinite article

Idioms and stable expressions, which include the indefinite article, are diverse in structure and meaning. To systematize the analysis, it seems advisable to divide such phraseological units into several groups according to the structural and semantic principle (taking into account the syntactic model and stylistic function of the article):

• Predicative-evaluative constructions like ser / estar / hacerse + un, una, unos, unas + noun. In these expressions, the copula (ser, estar, etc.) is combined with a nominal group with an indefinite article, defining a metaphorical characteristic of a person or situation. The article gives the utterance a touch of subjective evaluation, turning the nominative combination into a role metaphor: ser un burro ("to be an ass" – stupid), estar hecho un Adán ("to turn into Adam" – to be a slob). This also includes emotionally expressive exclamations like ¡eres un caso! ("what a shot you are!") or ¡Es una verdad como un templo! ("this is a truth the size of a temple!" – the undoubted truth).
• Comparative and comparative phrases with como un... / más ... que un.... This group includes phraseological units that are based on a model of comparison with a certain typical pattern – after the conjunction como ("like") or in superlative constructions. The indefinite article is used before the noun-standard, emphasizing that the comparison refers to a single characteristic example. For example: hablar mejor que un academico ("speak smoothly like an academic"), más feo que un voto a Dios ("terrible as a mortal sin"). Here, un academico, un voto a Dios represent a collective image (an academician as an exemplary speaker, or a blasphemous oath as a symbol of sin), and the article gives this image the generality of a typical representative of the class.
• Verb-object collocations with un, una, unos, unas + noun. This category includes stable combinations such as dar un X, echar un X, pegar un X, etc., where the verb is combined with a singular noun with the article un, denoting a single action or a short act. Examples: dar un paso ("to take a step" in the figurative sense – to take a step), echar un vistazo ("to take a look", that is, to take a quick look), pegar un grito ("to cry out", that is, to cry out). The indefinite article here acts as an antiextensive operator of determination: it separates a single act of action from a potentially multiple or lengthy process. Cf.: dar pasos – "to take (steps)" vs dar un paso – "to take (one) step"; echar tragos – "to take a sip of the bottle" vs echarse un trago – "have a drink (one time)." Thus, the indefinite article in the composition of such expressions gives them the meaning of one-time use, brevity. This quality is often used to expressively characterize an action – to enhance it or, conversely, to soften it: echar una siesta – "to take a nap" (not to sleep for a long time, namely, to sleep briefly during the day). In other words, the article here performs the grammatical operation of determination, isolating a single act of action from a potentially lengthy process and at the same time giving the idiom integrity. Thanks to this operation, the indefinite article focuses attention on the fact that the action is performed once and briefly. In Russian, a similar effect is often achieved lexically (with the words "once, once", etc.), whereas in Spanish it is formalized grammatically through un.
• Negative and distributive revolutions (ni un, unos... otros... etc.). The fourth group includes constructions where the indefinite article is involved in expressing total negation or distribution. In the turn of ni un [noun], the article emphasizes absolute negation: no hay ni un gato – "there is not a single soul", ni un Cristo (razg.) – "no way", "no way". Here, the indefinite article acts as part of a stable combination ni uno ("none"), enhancing negation to the maximum. In distributive constructions of the form unos + verb, otros + verb, the article unos actually acts as an indefinite pronoun "some ... (and) others ...", breaking the plural subject into parts: unos dicen lo uno, otros lo otro – "some say one thing, others another." Idiomatic variants of this type often contain a hidden meaning of disunity or randomness: unos por el cierzo y otros por el solano – "who goes into the forest, who goes for firewood" (literally: "some [blow] with the north wind, others with the south wind"). The article unos gives the image the ambiguity (not all, but some and some others) necessary to create the effect of separation.

The proposed classification, of course, does not cover all possible cases. Nevertheless, it allows us to outline the main criteria of analysis: (1) the syntactic position of the construction (connective, comparative, verb, determinative); (2) the semantic role of the article (metaphorical nomination, typification of comparison, characterization of action, reinforcement of negation, etc.); (3) stylistic effect (expressive assessment, hyperbole, colloquial imagery, idiomatic expressiveness of utterance). Let's take a closer look at each group of phraseological units and analyze the function of the indefinite article in its composition.

Functional and stylistic analysis of idioms with indefinite article

Predicative-evaluative constructions (ser / estar / hacerse + un, una, unos, unas X)

In these expressions, the indefinite article serves as a kind of "metaphorical equality", establishing a relationship of identity in quality between the subject and a certain figurative nominative feature. The use of the indefinite article makes it possible to represent a person or a situation as the bearer of the full feature contained in the noun. For example, the phraseology estar hecho un Adán literally means "to become Adam", and in meaning – "to become a slob, to descend." Here Adam (a well-known biblical character) acts as a symbol of untidiness, and due to the indefinite article, the speaker seems to place the subject of the utterance in the category of "one of the same as Adam." Similarly, ser un burro – literally "to be an ass" – uses the article to transform an attribute (stupid, stubborn, like an ass). into the essential quality of the subject, emphasizing the power of a negative assessment. The function of the article in such constructions is to characterize the image referentially: it puts forward a metaphorical image as a concrete example through which a characteristic is given ^{[17; p. 168]}. At the same time, an emphatic, expressive effect is often observed: compare the neutral es tonto ("stupid") and the expressive ¡es un tonto! – in the second variant, un enhances the emotional coloring of the utterance (expressing dislike, irritation). In some cases, the article allows you to create vivid colloquial idioms with intense coloring: ¡Es un decir! – "It's just a word" (that is, figuratively speaking, not seriously); ¡Eres un caso! – "Well, you're a frame!" (denotes an unusual, strange person). Without un, such statements are either impossible or lose their expressive touch of imagery.

It is important to note that the article, when used in this way, often becomes an integral part of phraseology. An attempt to omit or replace it leads to a loss of idiomatic meaning. For example, no soy mono de imitación (literally "I am not a copycat monkey" – an expression of independence) exists only without the article, whereas the affirmative ser un mono de imitación requires un and means "to ape, slavishly copy". The expression hecho un fideo ("became like macaroni" – about a thin man) necessarily includes un; without it, the comparison loses its imagery. Thus, the indefinite article functions as a marker of phraseological connectedness, signaling that we are not looking at a free combination, but an idiom with a certain figurative meaning.

Comparative phrases with an indefinite article

In stable comparisons and figurative comparisons, the indefinite article serves the role of highlighting a reference image through which a feature is hyperbolized or concretized. Spanish phraseological units abound with examples: tan feliz como una lombriz – "happy as a worm" (i.e. extremely pleased); más lento que una tortuga – "slower than a turtle" (very slow); gritar como un poseso – "scream like a man possessed". Everywhere, the indefinite article before the noun (worm, turtle, possessed) indicates that we are talking about a single representative of the species, which carries a unique quality to the maximum extent. The article gives the comparative construction a touch of universality: the comparison is perceived not literally with a specific individual, but with a generalized image, "with the average representative of the class." This relates the function of the indefinite article here to the English phrase as Adj as a N (where a performs a similar role and also introduces a typical reference image).

Sometimes, in such phrases, article variation is possible, which is also noteworthy. For example: afable como el citrón and afable como un citrón – both variants occur in speech and mean "kind as a citron (citrus liqueur)", that is, extremely friendly. The difference is stylistic: the form with el ("like that citron") is somewhat more bookish, implying the prominence of the image, while with the indefinite article it is more colloquial, unwittingly emphasizing the hypothetical nature of the comparison ("like some kind of citron" – cf. rus. "gentle as velvet" vs "gentle as some kind of velvet"). In general, the use of the indefinite article in comparative phraseological units makes the expression brighter due to the slight hyperbolization of the image. For example, the phrase ¡corre que se las pela! ("he runs, his heels sparkle") in the version of ¡corre más que un gamo! ("runs faster than a deer") acquires an archaic and expressive flavor precisely due to the indefinite article denoting a certain mythically fast deer as a standard of speed.

It is worth mentioning cases when the presence or absence of an indefinite article changes the meaning of an idiom. An illustrative example is the pair: estar en grito vs estar en un grito. The expression estar en grito means "to be heard by everyone, to be in fashion," i.e. to be in a state of universal discussion. Here, the absence of the article indicates the uncertainty and generalization of the condition – we are talking about the phenomenon as such, without reference to a specific episode. On the contrary, estar en un grito is a completely different idiom: "to scream in pain, to be in agony." The appearance of the indefinite article radically changes the meaning: the article concretizes the state, localizing it at the moment ("to scream in one cry" – that is, to cry out or moan in pain at the moment). Thus, the indefinite article gives the situation an individualized, singular character, while the absence of the article leaves the meaning at the level of a general property or tendency. Here we have a kind of minimal pair of phraseological units, differing only in the presence of the article.:

• estar en grito (without un): a generalized, abstract meaning describing a widespread phenomenon or a typical situation without reference to a specific episode. The object that is being "shouted about" is understood as part of a fashion or general trend (cf. Rus. "to rattle, to be heard by everyone"). The article is not used because the meaning is intentionally generalized.
• estar en un grito (with un): a specific, situational meaning is "to be in a state of screaming (from pain/fear) at the moment." The article un distinguishes a single case (cry) from the potential set, emphasizing its uniqueness and the acuteness of the experience.

As you can see, grammatically minimal difference leads to a semantic shift. This underlines the importance of the article as a fine adjuster of meaning in idiomatics: the choice between the null and indefinite article is able to switch the meaning from general to particular, from typical to unique, from stating to emphatic. The analytical criterion "is/is not an indefinite article" thus becomes one of the tools for the study of Spanish phraseological units.

Verbal idioms with indefinite article

Many common Spanish idioms are a combination of a verb and a noun, where the indefinite article indicates the uniqueness of the object, and the object itself metaphorically characterizes the action. We have already mentioned dar un paso, echar un vistazo, pegar un grito, etc. In each of these cases, the article is necessary for the grammatical design of the direct complement in the singular, but its function is not limited to grammar alone. Un focuses on the fact that an action is performed once (on a one–time basis), and often implies its short duration or suddenness, which in visual imagery refers to a "single frame" instead of a "video recording." For example, echar una ojeada means literally "take one look." If you remove una, you will just have echar ojo ("observe, follow"), which is a different semantics. Thus, the article here performs the grammatical function of reinforcing a single action, while simultaneously giving the idiom integrity: hacer una pausa – literally "to pause" (one interruption of the action); meter un gol – "to score a goal" (one ball); tomar una copa – "to skip a glass" (one drink). There are often no articles in Russian, but a similar effect is achieved using the words "once, once, one" (cf.: drink once, fall in for a second). Spanish forms such meanings grammatically using the indefinite article.

It is worth noting that in many cases such verb-noun constructions have become phraseologically related, and their meaning cannot be deduced from the sum of their parts. Nevertheless, the presence of the indefinite article remains an obligatory element, without which the phraseology disintegrates. For example, echar(se) flores ("showering compliments") is a stable expression without an article. But if the article appears, the idiom itself changes: echar una flor means "to make a small gift or a pleasant favor" (literally "to give a flower" in a figurative sense). Another example: armar cisco – "raise a fuss, a scandal" vs armar un cisco – the same thing, but the option with un is more colloquial and slightly less categorical (literally "make a fuss"). Here we see how the article introduces a touch of uniqueness even where, it would seem, the expression has already become indivisible: armar cisco/armar un cisco differ in the degree of expression, and the second option is more plastic stylistically.

In general, a criterion can be formulated for verbal idioms: if an action is thought of as a discrete event, limited in its scope (in time, space, or result), then the Spanish language tends to use the indefinite article. This article is not translated separately, but its presence is felt by native speakers as an indicator that the speaker is not just describing the action, but presenting it as a single episode, often with a touch of surprise or brevity. This gives rise to a characteristic stylistic effect – conversational vivacity, imagery of utterance: soltar un rollo ("to let go of a tirade", i.e. to say a long speech), pegar un susto ("how to give fear", i.e. to frighten a lot), dar un plantón ("to give a stump", i.e. not to come to a meeting, "upgrade"). In all these examples, the article reinforces the idiomatic metaphor, emphasizing the fact of performing a single action, which is often associated with the recipient's emotional reaction (surprise, fright, laughter, etc.).

Negative and emphatic constructions

Idioms expressing polar meanings (for example, the complete absence of something or the extreme manifestation of quality) often contain the indefinite article as part of a stable formula. First of all, this concerns negative revolutions with ni.... For example, ni un duro – "not a single duro" (not a penny of money), ni una palabra – "not a [single] word", ni un pelo – "not a hair" (not a bit). The article un in combination with ni actually forms an indivisible expression "none". Its function here is an amplifying one: it emphasizes that even the smallest quantity or unit is excluded. Historically, such constructions reflect the principle of minimum measure in negation, and the presence of the article serves as a marker of this "minimum measure" (one element out of all possible ones). A similar principle applies in the exclamation ¡y ni uno! – "and not a single one!" (it says in response to the enumeration; the equivalent of Rus. "and not one [not...]"). Thus, in negative phraseological units, un is an integral part of the ni uno/una amplifier, without which the idiom does not function. An attempt to remove the article (ni hombre, ni palabra) violates the normality and clarity of the expression.

The emphatic use of unos in the plural deserves special mention. The form unos, unas can give the utterance the meaning "some very ...". For example, in colloquial speech: ¡Tiene unas ideas! "He has such ideas! (unimaginable)". Here, unas serves to express indignation or admiration, reinforcing the subsequent noun with a hint of its exclusivity. A similar mechanism also works in stable combinations: ¡Eres de un egoísmo! – "What selfishness you have!" (where de un... is another way to express a high degree of quality). These constructions are at the junction of grammar and phraseology: they are not completely idiomatic (you can substitute different nouns), but they are stable as a model of expression. The indefinite article in them performs a pronounced stylistic role, expressing categorical values of intensity or evaluability as a result of grammatical choice of form ^{[18; pp. 20-23]}.

Finally, the distribution revolutions of unos... otros... have already been mentioned above. Let's just add that their expanded forms are found in phraseology, emphasizing the fragmentation of the situation: unos por aquí, otros por allí – "who's here, who's there"; unos dicen una cosa, y otros otra – "some this way, others that way" ^{[19; pp. 13-15]}. The article unos is consistently preserved in them, although theoretically it could be omitted (unos dicen ..., otros ... and so it is clear from the context). Its preservation is understandable historically: initially, these were full forms with unus ("one of"), and the stability of the form supports the rhetorical method of contrasting groups of people /objects. Stylistically, the use of unos at the beginning of such turns gives speech a certain bookishness or solemnity (especially when repeating unos..., unos...), or, conversely, irony – if the context is hyperbolic ^{[20; pp. 1-2, 5-6]}. Special attention should be paid to the forms ningunos, ningunas, which are described as systemic and contextually motivated (including with pluralia tantum and names of a paired nature) ^{[21; pp. 1-2, 6-7]}.

Special cases: un, una, unos, unas in the meaning of a numeral or pronoun

Not in all stable combinations of the forms un, una and unos, unas perform the function of the article. In a number of phraseological units, they are used in the original quantitative meaning of "one" or as an indefinite pronoun "some, some". In these cases, the indefinite article does not introduce additional stylistic shades of uncertainty, but acts as neutral indicators of quantity. In order to correctly interpret such expressions, it is important to distinguish the use of un as an article from its use as a numeral or pronoun.

"None" as a negative quantitative indicator

In stable negative constructions with ni..., the forms under consideration express the literal absence of even one unit. So, in the examples above, ni un duro ("not a single penny"), ni una palabra ("not a single word"), ni un gato ("not a single soul"), the indefinite article is actually equal in meaning to the word uno ("one") in the negative construction. In fact, ni un = ni uno (solo) – "none (even)". Here, un, una does not set a referent, but only expresses the absence of at least one unit, acting as a numeral in negation. Such expressions do not acquire additional metaphorical nuances from the article – it remains an indicator of the minimum quantity. For example, the phraseology no entender ni jota ("not to understand anything"; add. "do not understand one iota") follows the same principle of the absence of at least one tiny fraction, although the article does not appear in it. Thus, if the indefinite article is used after ni and means "none/none", they should be considered not as an article of uncertainty, but as part of the negative pronoun ni uno/una– the carrier of the quantitative meaning "none".

Distributive oppositions of "one – others"

In constructions like unos... otros..., the forms unos/unas also do not act as an article in the classical sense. They function as independent indefinite pronouns unos = "some" and otros = "others". For example, in the idiomatic expression unos por el cierzo y otros por el solano ("who goes into the forest, who goes for firewood"), unos clearly means "some (people)" – that is, part of a certain multitude – opposed to another part (otros). Here, unos does not serve to introduce a new class image; on the contrary, it divides the subject into two groups and indicates their differentiation. This usage is typical for many languages: cf. Russian "some – others" or English some – others ^{[22; pp. 1179-1181]}. Thus, it is more correct to interpret unos in such constructions as a pronoun, rather than as an article, since it performs the function of grouping, rather than determining the name.

Emphatic unos/unas as a degree indicator

In exclamations like ¡Tiene unas ideas! ("He has such ideas!") or ¡Eres de un egoísmo! ("What selfishness you have!") the unas form is also similar in function to the pronoun "some". Despite its formal classification as a plural indefinite article, unas is actually used here in the sense of "some special" ideas - that is, it performs a quantitative and evaluative function similar to the expression ¡Qué ideas tiene!. In such constructions, unos and unas do not so much mark the introduction of a new subject as serve as a means of expressing the degree of quality: they set a high degree of surprise, indignation or admiration of the speaker. For example, let's compare the neutral statement tiene ideas ("he has ideas") and the expressive ¡tiene unas ideas! – the latter implies "he has such ideas!", where unas indicates an extreme degree of evaluation. Such usage, in fact, passes from the category of purely grammatical to the category of lexical and phraseological means of expression. Therefore, in such cases, unas can be considered as a marker of intensification, semantically close to pronominal-adverbial constructions such as tan ... ("so..."), qué... ("what...").

Cases of use as a numeral

Some stable combinations include the indefinite article in their direct numerical value "one". For example, the phraseological formula érase una vez ... ("once upon a time ...") – the standard beginning of a fairy tale – contains una in the meaning of the numeral "one" (Rus. "once upon a time") without any shade of ambiguity: this phrase simply sets the time and does not imply the identification of the object. Another example is the expression uno a uno ("one by one, one by one"), which functions as an adverb of order ("sequentially, alternately") and where uno is used as a pure numeral "one" as part of a stable combination. Although uno can be formally considered here as a special form of an indefinite pronoun, in fact it retains a quantitative meaning and does not perform the functions of introducing a new referent. Such cases show that in a number of well–established expressions, un/uno acts precisely as a numeral - and these cases must be distinguished from the actual articular constructions.

In these situations, the presence of un, una, unos, unas does not add to the idiom the shades characteristic of the article (novelty of the referent, generalization, expression of uncertainty). Their role is to indicate the quantity or to divide it into groups, that is, to basic quantitative and referential values. The analysis of the context and stability of the combination helps to distinguish such cases. If an expression allows for the substitution of a specific number or the preservation of meaning when replacing un with uno ("one"), it is most likely that un is not the article of determination in it. For example, the meaning of no decir ni una palabra is practically equivalent to no decir ninguna palabra ("not to say a single word"), and the use of una here indicates the absence of a single case of communication, rather than introducing a new object of conversation. Accordingly, una in this expression is a numeral (part of a negative construction), and not a marker of uncertainty. On the contrary, in the idiom echar un vistazo, replacing un with uno or removing the article is impossible without losing its meaning – here un performs precisely the function of the article defining the boundaries of a short action (as discussed earlier).

The forms un, una (as well as their plural unos, unas) in a number of phraseological units retain their original quantitative meaning or act as indefinite pronouns. In such contexts, they do not carry the additional stylistic burden inherent in the article, and therefore should be interpreted literally as "one" or "some". The key feature of such cases is the possibility of literal reading without loss of meaning and the availability of substitution options (for a numeral, for another determinant). without prejudice to the value. Thus, the correct interpretation of stable expressions directly depends on the ability to recognize the un status – to distinguish cases where it is used in a numerical value from those where it is an article. The context and the degree of idiomatic stability play a crucial role: for example, in the combination ni un duro (un = "one") and in the variant unos duros (unos = "several coins"), a form of the same origin performs different functions and is translated in different ways. In one case, this is a complete denial ("not a penny"), in the other – an indication of an indefinite small amount of money ("a couple of coins, some money"). Considering such nuances, the researcher and translator should constantly keep in focus the dual nature of the forms un, una, unos, unas and their contextual function.

Conclusion

The analysis shows that the indefinite article in Spanish phraseology functions as a determination operator that makes the transition from a potential image to a specified one and guides the interpretation of stable expressions. Within the phraseological system, the choice of form with or without the article is not limited to stylistic detail.: This is a regular grammatical operation that sets the outline of the content of an utterance (the level of generalization, the degree of individualization, the severity of the evaluative feature) and matches the meaning with the type of construction. Thus, the article does not act as a peripheral amplifier, but as a structural component of the determination operation, forming a meaning profile in predicative-evaluative, comparative, verb-nominal and negative-distributive models ^{[23; p. 75]}.

The results obtained confirm that in verb-noun idioms, the indefinite article form represents an event as a one-time event (representing the process as one completed act); in predicative—evaluative constructions, there is an increase in the degree of the feature (bringing the evaluative image to the fore); in comparative formulas, the representation of a typical image as a separate representative of the class through which it manifests itself the degree of the feature. In the negative distributive zone, an indication of the minimum volume and distribution of the set is fixed; at the same time, the contextual ambiguity of the forms un, una, unos, unas is fixed: in a number of stable combinations they function not as an article, but as a numeral or indefinite pronoun. Minimal pairs like estar en grito / estar en un grito demonstrate regular switching of interpretation along the axes "generalization → individualization" and "neutrality → pronounced intensity", which confirms the status of the article as an element defining the plan of expression.

From a theoretical point of view, the degree of grammaticalization of the forms un, una, unos, unas in the field of phraseology is being clarified. It is shown that, while remaining means of the category of determination, these forms retain a trace of the original quantitative motivation and therefore exhibit status variability, which is diagnosed by tests for substitution (for uno/una), for opposition with the zero article and for stability/variability of the form. Thus, the simplified model of "complete grammaticalization" in stable expressions is rejected: within the phraseological system there are different modes of interpretation of the same form, set by the type of construction and the communicative task.

The practical effect of the work is manifested in two dimensions. Firstly, the proposed criteria are applicable to lexicographic description: it is advisable to record the status of the form (article, numeral, pronoun), the obligation of the article and the result of determination, which increases the predictability of interpretation and facilitates the construction of a dictionary entry. Secondly, the model is useful for translation and teaching: recognizing the effects of referential characterization of an event and the degree of a feature determines the choice of an equivalent and the degree of expression in the translation language, ensuring accurate transmission of meaning without loss of stylistic parameters.

The prospect of further work is related to the corpus study of the distribution and variability of the obligatory article in stable expressions by dialects and genres, as well as to the interlanguage comparison in the Romance group according to the parameters of the referential characterization of the event and the representation of a typical image. Such comparisons will make it possible to clarify the universal and specific properties of the mechanism of determination in phraseology and expand the theoretical model due to independent data.

The article is published in the version approved by the reviewers (after receiving a positive review recommending the manuscript for publication) with corrections made by the author (after receiving the editor’s comments, if any).
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