Question 1

Why do we use unos here?

Accepted Answer

Unos is a plural indefinite article. It is the plural of un (a/an) and translates to "some" or "a few." You use unos when you are talking about an unspecified group of things, just like how you use un for a single unspecified thing.

Question 2

Why is it zapatos grandes and not grandes zapatos?

Accepted Answer

In Spanish, descriptive words (adjectives) like grandes almost always come after the thing they are describing (the noun). So instead of "big shoes," the standard word order is "shoes big" (zapatos grandes).

Question 3

Since zapatos is masculine, why isn't the adjective grandos?

Accepted Answer

Not all adjectives change their endings to -o or -a. The singular word for "big" is grande, which ends in an -e. Adjectives that end in -e are the exact same for both masculine and feminine words. To make it plural to match zapatos, you simply add an -s to make it grandes.

Question 4

Is the word Nosotros strictly necessary in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

No, it is completely optional! The verb necesitamos (we need) already has the "we" built into its -amos ending. You can safely just say Necesitamos unos zapatos grandes, and Spanish speakers usually drop the Nosotros unless they want to emphasize who needs the shoes.

Nosotros necesitamos unos zapatos grandes.

Breakdown of Nosotros necesitamos unos zapatos grandes.

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