Unas "number" horas

Question

So we often think unas/unos is some, so is this like for instance, "unas dos horas" = "un par de horas" and "unas cinco horas" = "cinco horas más o menos" o más bien dicho que "unas cinco horas" es igual que "cinco horas y ni un minuto más"? Gracias.

Answer 1

I have taken the unos/unas + number thing to be close to our some-odd construction.

He's forty-some-odd years old. (Tiene unos cuarenta años).

But it also appears to be used like about/nearly/around...he was in the store for around 8 hours (Estaba en la tienda durante unas ocho horas).

I think this is how I've seen it used.

And, were we to say things like he's some 40 years old or he was in the store some 8 hours ... it doesn't sound too off and can come across with that same "approximate" feel that unos/as + number has.

Answer 2

I'm not really sure I understand your question, Jeezle. Everything you wrote correctly expresses an approximation.

"Cinco horas y ni un minuto más" is "cinco horas." "Cinco horas exactas". Everything else is give or take a few minutes.