alguns

The Portuguese word alguns is a fundamental building block for any learner reaching the A2 level. At its core, it is the masculine plural form of the indefinite determiner and pronoun algum. In English, we most commonly translate it as 'some' or 'a few'. However, its usage is more nuanced than a simple one-to-one translation. It serves to indicate an unspecified but limited quantity of items or people. When you use alguns, you are signaling to your listener that you are not talking about all members of a group, nor are you talking about a single individual; rather, you are focusing on a small, indefinite subset.

Grammatical Category

Indefinite Determiner / Pronoun (Masculine Plural)

Core Meaning

An unspecified number of items, typically more than two but not a large majority.

In everyday conversation, alguns is the go-to word when you want to be vague but positive. For instance, if you say you have 'some friends' coming over, you use alguns amigos. It implies a manageable number. It is important to distinguish this from the word uns, which also means 'some'. While uns often acts as an indefinite article (like 'a' but plural), alguns carries a slightly stronger sense of 'a few specific ones out of a larger group'.

This word is also vital for making generalizations that aren't absolute. Instead of saying 'All people like soccer,' which is rarely true, a sophisticated speaker says 'Some people like soccer' (Algumas pessoas gostam de futebol). Note that alguns changes to algumas when the noun is feminine. This gender agreement is a hallmark of Portuguese grammar that English speakers must master. The word alguns specifically modifies masculine plural nouns like livros (books), carros (cars), or problemas (problems).

Furthermore, alguns can stand alone as a pronoun. If someone asks, 'Do you have any pens?', you can respond, 'I have some' (Eu tenho alguns). In this context, the noun is omitted because it is understood from the conversation. This flexibility makes it an incredibly efficient word in dialogue. It avoids the need for repetition while maintaining grammatical clarity. As you progress in your Portuguese journey, you will notice that alguns is frequently used in professional settings to soften statements. Instead of saying 'There are errors,' one might say 'There are some errors' (Existem alguns erros), which sounds less accusatory and more constructive.

Common Contexts

Shopping, scheduling meetings, describing groups of people, and listing items.

In summary, alguns is more than just a translation of 'some'. It is a tool for precision in indefiniteness. It allows you to quantify the world without being tied to exact numbers, providing a natural flow to your speech that mimics how native speakers perceive quantity. Whether you are talking about time, objects, or abstract ideas, alguns provides the necessary bridge between 'one' and 'many'.

Agreement Rule

Always matches the gender of the noun it refers to. Use 'alguns' for masculine and 'algumas' for feminine.

Using alguns correctly requires an understanding of its placement and its relationship with the noun it modifies. In the vast majority of cases, alguns precedes the noun. This is the standard word order in Portuguese for determiners. For example, 'some students' becomes alguns estudantes. This placement is straightforward for English speakers, as it mirrors the English 'some students'. However, the complexity arises when we consider gender and number agreement, which is much more rigid in Portuguese than in English.

Rule 1: Precedence

Place 'alguns' before the noun it modifies to indicate an indefinite quantity.

One of the most interesting aspects of alguns is its behavior in negative sentences. While in English we might say 'I don't have any books,' in Portuguese, the singular form algum is used after the noun to mean 'none at all' (Não tenho livro algum). However, the plural alguns is almost exclusively used in positive contexts to mean 'a few'. If you want to say 'I don't have some books (but I have others),' you could technically use alguns, but it's much more common to use it in affirmative statements to build a list or describe a scene.

When alguns is used as a pronoun, it replaces the noun entirely. This usually happens when the noun has already been mentioned. For example: 'Do you want these cookies?' 'I'll take some.' In Portuguese: 'Você quer estes biscoitos?' 'Vou levar alguns.' Here, alguns stands in for biscoitos. Notice that even as a pronoun, it must maintain the masculine plural form because biscoitos is masculine plural. If you were talking about bolachas (cookies, feminine), you would have to use algumas.

Another advanced usage involves the preposition de. When you want to say 'some of the...', you combine alguns with dos (de + os). For example, 'Some of the students are here' becomes Alguns dos estudantes estão aqui. This structure is very common in formal writing and academic contexts where you are specifying a subset of a previously defined group. It adds a layer of precision to your descriptions.

Sentence Structure

[Alguns] + [Masculine Plural Noun] + [Verb]... or [Verb] + [Alguns] + [Masculine Plural Noun].

In questions, alguns functions similarly to English. 'Are there some chairs available?' (Existem algumas cadeiras disponíveis?). Note the change to algumas for cadeiras. Using alguns in a question often implies that the speaker expects a positive answer or is offering something. It is less neutral than using quaisquer (any). For example, 'Would you like some sweets?' (Você gostaria de alguns doces?) is a polite and common way to offer food.

Finally, let's look at the combination with adjectives. Alguns can be followed by an adjective that also agrees in gender and number. 'Some interesting books' becomes alguns livros interessantes. The determiner alguns sets the stage for the entire noun phrase, ensuring that every element that follows respects the plural masculine nature of the subject. This consistency is what gives Portuguese its rhythmic and structured feel.

Advanced Tip

In literary Portuguese, 'alguns' can sometimes follow the noun for emphasis, though this is rare in modern spoken language.

The word alguns is ubiquitous in the Lusophone world. From the bustling streets of São Paulo to the historic alleys of Lisbon, you will hear it dozens of times a day. Its primary home is in the realm of the 'approximate'. Native speakers use it when they don't want to be bothered with exact figures, or when the exact figure is irrelevant to the point they are making. It is the language of the everyday, the casual, and the practical.

The Supermarket

'Vou comprar alguns tomates' (I'm going to buy some tomatoes). Here, the speaker doesn't mean three or four specifically, just a few for a salad.

In the workplace, alguns is the lubricant of corporate communication. When a manager says, 'Temos alguns problemas para resolver,' they are using the word to acknowledge issues without causing panic. It suggests that the problems are finite and manageable. You'll hear it in presentations ('Aqui estão alguns dados importantes'), in emails ('Seguem alguns arquivos em anexo'), and in water-cooler talk ('Ouvi alguns boatos sobre a fusão'). It provides a level of professional distance and caution.

Socially, alguns is used to describe groups and social circles. If you're at a party and someone asks who is there, you might say, 'Alguns amigos da faculdade e alguns colegas de trabalho.' It categorizes people into groups without needing to name every individual. It's also very common in storytelling. 'Há alguns anos...' (A few years ago...) is a classic way to start a narrative about the past. It sets a vague timeframe that allows the listener to focus on the events rather than the dates.

In the media, news anchors use alguns to report on developing stories where numbers are still being confirmed. 'Ocorreram alguns incidentes na fronteira' (Some incidents occurred at the border). It allows for factual reporting without the risk of being inaccurate about the exact count. Similarly, in weather reports, you might hear, 'Esperamos alguns períodos de chuva' (We expect some periods of rain). It conveys the intermittent nature of the weather perfectly.

The Digital World

On social media, you'll see captions like 'Alguns momentos do meu fim de semana' (Some moments from my weekend), accompanying a photo dump.

Even in literature and music, alguns plays a role in creating atmosphere. Songwriters use it to evoke a sense of nostalgia or shared experience. 'Alguns dias são melhores que outros' (Some days are better than others) is a sentiment that resonates universally. In novels, it's used to describe settings—'Havia alguns móveis antigos na sala'—giving the reader enough detail to form a mental image without over-describing the scene. It is a word that trusts the listener's imagination.

Academic Context

'Alguns autores defendem que...' (Some authors argue that...). Used to cite a school of thought without naming every single scholar.

One of the most frequent errors English speakers make when using alguns is failing to account for gender agreement. In English, 'some' is universal; it doesn't matter if you're talking about 'some boys' or 'some girls'. In Portuguese, this is a critical distinction. Using alguns with a feminine noun like mulheres (women) is a jarring mistake for a native ear. You must always use algumas for feminine nouns. This requires constant vigilance and a solid grasp of the gender of common nouns.

Mistake 1: Gender Mismatch

Incorrect: 'Alguns pessoas' (Pessoas is feminine). Correct: 'Algumas pessoas'.

Another common pitfall is the confusion between alguns and uns. While they are often interchangeable, they carry different weights. Uns is the plural of the indefinite article um. It is often used for pairs or when the number is truly irrelevant. Alguns, on the other hand, implies a selection from a larger group. For example, 'Tenho uns sapatos' sounds like 'I have a pair of shoes,' whereas 'Tenho alguns sapatos' sounds like 'I have a few pairs of shoes in my collection.' Using uns when you mean alguns can make you sound less precise than you intended.

A significant error involves countability. English speakers often use 'some' with uncountable nouns, like 'some water' or 'some information'. In Portuguese, alguns is strictly for countable plural nouns. You cannot say alguns água or alguns informação. For uncountable nouns, you must use um pouco de (a little bit of) or alguma (in the singular feminine, meaning 'some amount of'). For example, 'I want some water' is Quero um pouco de água or Quero alguma água, never alguns água.

The placement of algum in negative sentences is another area of confusion. As mentioned before, algum (singular) after a noun means 'none'. English speakers might try to use alguns in a negative sentence to mean 'not any', but this is incorrect. 'I don't have any problems' should be Não tenho problema algum or Não tenho nenhuns problemas. Using alguns in a negative sentence like Não tenho alguns problemas actually means 'I don't have *some* (specific) problems,' which is a very rare and specific thing to say.

Mistake 2: Using 'Alguns' for 'Any'

In negative sentences, 'any' is usually 'nenhum'. 'Alguns' is for positive 'some'.

Finally, learners often over-rely on alguns when other quantifiers would be more natural. For instance, if you mean 'several' or 'many', vários or muitos are better choices. Alguns is specifically for a small, indefinite number. If you say you have alguns problems but you actually have twenty, a native speaker will feel you are understating the situation. Precision in quantification, even when the quantity is indefinite, is key to advanced fluency.

Mistake 3: Pronunciation

Pronouncing the 'l' like an English 'l'. In Portuguese, it's often a 'u' sound (au-goons).

To truly master Portuguese, you need to know the alternatives to alguns and when to use them. The most common synonym is uns. As discussed, uns is often more casual and acts like an indefinite article. If you say 'Eu vi uns caras ali,' it sounds like 'I saw some guys there.' It's very informal. Alguns is slightly more deliberate. If you want to sound more educated or precise, alguns is usually the better choice.

Alguns vs. Uns

'Alguns' is more selective and formal. 'Uns' is more general and informal.

Another important alternative is vários. While alguns means 'a few', vários means 'several' or 'various'. It implies a larger quantity than alguns. If you have three books, use alguns. If you have ten, use vários. Similarly, diversos is a more formal synonym for vários, often used in writing to mean 'diverse' or 'many different'. For example, 'Diversos estudos mostram...' (Various studies show...).

On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have poucos, which means 'few'. This is used when the quantity is small and perhaps insufficient. 'Tenho alguns amigos' (I have some friends - positive) vs. 'Tenho poucos amigos' (I have few friends - potentially negative). Understanding the emotional weight of these quantifiers is essential for nuanced communication. Alguns is generally neutral to positive, while poucos highlights the scarcity.

For even larger quantities, you move into the territory of muitos (many/a lot) or bastantes (quite a few/enough). Bastantes is an interesting word because it doesn't change for gender, only for number. 'Bastantes pessoas' (Quite a few people). It's a great word to use when you want to emphasize that the quantity is significant but not necessarily 'too many'.

Formal Alternatives

'Certos' (certain), 'determinados' (determined/specific), 'vários' (several).

In formal or literary contexts, you might see certos (certain). 'Certos indivíduos...' (Certain individuals...). This is used when you have specific people in mind but don't want to name them. It's more targeted than alguns. Similarly, determinados is used in technical or legal writing to specify a subset. 'Em determinados casos...' (In certain/determined cases...). These words add a layer of specificity that alguns lacks.

Summary Table

Alguns (3-5) < Vários (5-10) < Muitos (10+)