When to use los/las vs. unos/unas

Question

For example, socks are written "unos calcetines". Why not los calcetines?

Answer 1

ANOTHER EXAMPLE:

Están llevando trajes. = They are wearing suits.

Why is there no plural article present??

Answer 2

unos/unas mean 'some' (indefinite, plural article) unos calcetines = some socks

los/las mean 'the' (definite, plural article) los calcetines = the socks

Generally, on vocabulary lists, you'll see definite articles with the noun to tell you if the noun is masculine or feminine, singular or plural.

el calcetín - the sock
'el' tells you that calcetín is masculine and singular You'll need to know that to use the right adjective form with it - a masc.,singular adj.

The definite article does not always match the gender as in el agua, el hacha, etc. - 0074b507, Aug 23, 2010

Answer 3

The indefinite article is used ...

The definite article article is used ....

Clothing and other personal items are a little different than most items. The definite article with clothing can actually be the equivalent of a possessive adjective in English.

Me pongo el sombrero.

I put on my hat.

Answer 4

A bit more context would be helpful. When saying "socks" or "the socks" I'd probably say "los calcetines." Unos is more like "some", as you mention.