Question 1

How can the word for 'a' or 'an' be plural (uns)?

Accepted Answer

In Portuguese, the indefinite articles um (masculine) and uma (feminine) have plural forms: uns and umas. While English does not have plural indefinite articles, in Portuguese they translate perfectly to 'some' or 'a few'. Since cadernos is a masculine plural noun, we use uns.

Question 2

Could I use alguns instead of uns to say 'some notebooks'?

Accepted Answer

Yes, uns and alguns are very similar and both mean 'some'. Uns is often used to introduce new items into a conversation (like 'a few' or 'a couple of'), while alguns can sometimes sound a bit more specific, like 'some, but not all'. At this beginner stage, you can think of them as mostly interchangeable.

Question 3

Doesn't Há mean 'There is'? Why is it used here for 'There are'?

Accepted Answer

The verb form Há (from the verb haver) is incredibly useful because it means both 'there is' and 'there are'. It never changes form, no matter how many things you are talking about. So, Há um caderno means 'There is a notebook', and Há uns cadernos means 'There are some notebooks'.

Question 4

I thought the word for 'there' was lá. What is the difference between lá and ali?

Accepted Answer

Both mean 'there', but they give a clue about distance. Ali usually means 'over there', meaning it is close enough to point at or see clearly. Lá is generally used for places that are further away or out of your line of sight.

Question 5

Why is the adjective novos placed after cadernos?

Accepted Answer

In English, adjectives usually come before the noun ('new notebooks'). In Portuguese, adjectives almost always come immediately after the noun they describe (cadernos novos). Notice that novos also ends in -os to match the masculine, plural noun cadernos.

Há ali uns cadernos novos.

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