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Countable in Spanish, uncountable in English

English has many uncountable nouns, which are words that you cannot count directly. You cannot ask for "one advice" or buy "two furnitures". To count them, you have to use phrasing like "a piece of advice" or "two items of furniture". For an English speaker, this habit is deeply ingrained.

Spanish, however, plays by its own rules. Many concepts that English treats as uncountable are perfectly countable in Spanish. You can put a number right in front of them or make them plural. If you try to translate "a piece of" into Spanish for these words, you will sound very unnatural. You just need to count the noun itself.

Word list
deberesmA1 homework hacer los deberes = to do homework frutafA1 fruit una fruta = a piece of fruit tareafA1 homework una tarea = a homework assignment consejomA2 advice un consejo = a piece of advice mueblemA2 piece of furniture un mueble = a piece of furniture mueblesmA2 furniture los muebles = furniture noticiafA2 news una noticia = a piece of news tostadafA2 toast una tostada = a piece of toast alojamientomB1 accommodation un alojamiento = an accommodation armadurafB1 armor una armadura = a suit of armor conocimientomB1 knowledge conocimientos = areas of knowledge investigaciónfB1 research una investigación = a research study joyafB1 jewel una joya = a piece of jewelry lechugafB1 lettuce una lechuga = a head of lettuce mariscomB1 seafood un marisco = a piece of shellfish noticiasfB1 news las noticias = the news novedadfB1 news una novedad = a piece of news permisomB1 permission un permiso = a permission progresomB1 progress hacer progresos = to make progress quehaceres domésticosmB1 housework los quehaceres domésticos = housework rayomB1 lightning un rayo = a bolt of lightning relámpagomB1 lightning un relámpago = a bolt of lightning tareas de la casafB1 housework las tareas de la casa = housework tareas del hogarfB1 housework las tareas del hogar = housework tareas domésticasfB1 housework las tareas domésticas = housework truenomB1 thunder un trueno = a clap of thunder chismemB2 gossip un chisme = a piece of gossip cotilleomB2 gossip un cotilleo = a piece of gossip cubiertosmB2 silverware los cubiertos = silverware datosmB2 data un dato = a piece of data evidenciafB2 evidence una evidencia = a piece of evidence pruebafB2 evidence una prueba = a piece of evidence alhajasfC1 jewellery las alhajas = jewelry aplausomC1 applause un aplauso = a round of applause condimentosmC1 seasoning los condimentos = seasoning cuberteríafC1 silverware una cubertería = a set of cutlery
Everyday advice, news, and chores

Some of the most common uncountable English words have countable Spanish equivalents. Words like consejo, noticia, and tarea can easily take an s to become plural, or follow an article like un or una.

Te voy a dar dos consejos y una buena noticia.
(I am going to give you two pieces of advice and some good news.)
El profesor nos dio una tarea muy difícil.
(The teacher gave us a very difficult homework assignment.)

When talking about objects in a house, mueble behaves the same way. While English groups all tables and chairs into the uncountable category of "furniture", Spanish simply counts the individual items.

Compramos tres muebles para el salón.
(We bought three pieces of furniture for the living room.)
Me comí dos tostadas en el desayuno.
(I ate two pieces of toast for breakfast.)
Science, law, and nature

Countability can also depend on the specific sense of the word. In English, words like "research", "evidence", and "knowledge" are almost always uncountable nouns. In Spanish, investigación, evidencia, prueba, and conocimiento can be made plural when referring to specific studies, clues, or skills.

La policía encontró varias pruebas del robo.
(The police found several pieces of evidence of the theft.)
Para este trabajo, necesitas conocimientos técnicos.
(For this job, you need technical knowledge.)

Another word in this category is datos. While "data" is traditionally considered plural in formal English, it is overwhelmingly treated as an uncountable noun in modern everyday speech. In Spanish, dato is strictly a countable noun representing a single piece of information.

Me falta un dato para terminar el informe.
(I am missing a piece of data to finish the report.)

Nature words follow a similar pattern. While English uses phrases like "a clap of thunder" or "a bolt of lightning", Spanish directly counts un trueno and un rayo or un relámpago.

Collections of items

Some Spanish words are made plural to represent a collection of items that English treats as a single uncountable thing. Common examples include joyas, cubiertos, and deberes.

Puso los cubiertos sobre la mesa.
(He put the silverware on the table.)
Ella tiene muchas joyas valiosas.
(She has a lot of valuable jewelry.)
Summary

When you want to say "a piece of" or "an item of" before words like advice, news, furniture, or toast, stop and translate the noun directly. In Spanish, these words are countable, so you can simply use numbers, plural forms, or indefinite articles right in front of them.