Gender of Nouns
One of the fundamental aspects of learning Spanish is understanding the gender of nouns. In Spanish, every noun is either masculine or feminine, and this classification affects other parts of speech, such as adjectives and articles, which must agree with the noun in gender and number. Here’s a guide to help you grasp the concept of gender in Spanish nouns and use them correctly.
1. Identifying Masculine Nouns
Generally, masculine nouns end in -o. However, there are exceptions and other common endings to watch for.
Common Masculine Endings:
-o: el libro (the book), el chico (the boy)
-ma: el problema (the problem), el programa (the program)
-or: el profesor (the teacher), el amor (the love)
-aje: el viaje (the trip), el mensaje (the message)
-l: el papel (the paper), el hospital (the hospital)
-n: el pan (the bread), el avión (the plane)
-s: el país (the country), el mes (the month)
Examples:
El gato (The cat)
El amigo (The friend)
2. Identifying Feminine Nouns
Typically, feminine nouns end in -a. As with masculine nouns, there are exceptions and additional common endings.
Common Feminine Endings:
-a: la casa (the house), la chica (the girl)
-ción: la nación (the nation), la educación (the education)
-sión: la televisión (the television), la discusión (the discussion)
-dad: la ciudad (the city), la libertad (the freedom)
-tad: la amistad (the friendship), la lealtad (the loyalty)
-umbre: la costumbre (the custom), la muchedumbre (the crowd)
-ie: la especie (the species), la serie (the series)
-is: la crisis (the crisis), la tesis (the thesis)
Examples:
La gata (The cat)
La amiga (The friend)
3. Exceptions and Irregularities
There are nouns that do not follow the typical patterns and must be memorized.
Masculine Exceptions:
El día (the day)
El mapa (the map)
El problema (the problem)
Feminine Exceptions:
La mano (the hand)
La radio (the radio)
La foto (the photo, short for fotografía)
Examples:
El agua (the water) [feminine but uses el due to phonetics]
El aula (the classroom) [feminine but uses el due to phonetics]
4. Plural Forms and Agreement
When making nouns plural, the gender does not change, but the articles and adjectives must agree in both gender and number.
Forming Plurals:
Add -s to nouns ending in a vowel: el libro -> los libros (the books)
Add -es to nouns ending in a consonant: la flor -> las flores (the flowers)
Examples:
El libro interesante -> Los libros interesantes (The interesting books)
La casa bonita -> Las casas bonitas (The pretty houses)
5. Articles and Adjectives Agreement
Articles (definite and indefinite) and adjectives must match the gender and number of the nouns they accompany.
Definite Articles:
Masculine singular: el
Feminine singular: la
Masculine plural: los
Feminine plural: las
Indefinite Articles:
Masculine singular: un
Feminine singular: una
Masculine plural: unos
Feminine plural: unas
Examples:
El perro negro (The black dog) -> Los perros negros (The black dogs)
La mesa roja (The red table) -> Las mesas rojas (The red tables)
