Correct answer for Miguel necesitaba unos medicamentos y compró ________ en la farmacia?

Question

Shouldn't the correct answer be 'alguno‘? The quiz says correct answer is 'algunos'. Even the AI said correct answer is 'alguno'.

Silvia Píriz · Accepted Answer

Hola Ramesh P.
You are correct to question this. In that sentence, the noun medicamentos is plural, so when it is replaced by a pronoun, the correct form is:
Miguel necesitaba unos medicamentos y compró algunos en la farmacia.
Here, algunos means "some (of them)" and replaces the plural noun medicamentos.
Using alguno would be singular ("one" or "some one"), so it would not agree with the plural noun being replaced.
If the exercise was asking you to replace medicamentos, then algunos is the correct answer. If an AI assistant suggested alguno, that would be an error.
I hope that clears things up!
Silvia

Silvia Píriz · Answer

Hola Marcos R.
You're absolutely right to point this out and thanks for highlighting the examples from the lesson.
The distinction is that alguno can refer to a single, unspecified item from a previously mentioned group, even when that group is plural.
So, in the sentence about Miguel, both forms are possible:
Compró alguno = He bought one (of the medicines).
Compró algunos = He bought some (of the medicines).
The same applies to the examples with libros and amigos in the lesson.
My previous explanation was too restrictive in suggesting that alguno couldn't refer back to a plural noun. Sorry for the confusion!
Un saludo
Silvia

Marcos Reál · Answer

Such strictness about agreement in number contradicts the following examples from the lesson:

· A
mi madre le gusta recibir libros en su cumpleaños, así que necesito
comprar alguno antes de mañana.

· Tenía
muchos
amigos en Valencia y siempre podía salir
con alguno por las noches.

Also the lesson emphasizes that agreement in number is not always necessary:- it does agree in gender but not in number even when it refers to a plural nounwhen used this way - the pronoun is always singular and never the plural formSo now I am confused. There
seems to be something missing in the explanation about whether to use the
singlular or the plural with alguno(s).