0GENDER OF NOUNS: PART I
Notes:
- The written lesson is below.
- Links to quizzes, tests, etc. are to the left.
A noun is a word used to denote a person, place, thing, or idea.
Person: John, girl, dentist
Place: garden, university, Venezuela
Thing: book, car, tomato
Idea: liberty, despair, intelligence
In Spanish, all nouns are either masculine or feminine.
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|
| el chico | la chica |
| boy | girl |
| el jardín | la universidad |
| garden | university |
| el libro | la revista |
| book | magazine |
| el miedo | la libertad |
| fear | liberty |
The idea that nouns have gender seems perfectly natural when the noun stands for a living creature. This is because in English, living creatures often have different names, depending upon whether they are male or female.
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|
| man | woman |
| tiger | tigress |
| aviator | aviatrix |
The following Spanish nouns all denote living creatures.
- el gato
- male cat
- la gata
- female cat
- el perro
- male dog
- la perra
- female dog
- el chico
- boy
- la chica
- girl
- el abuelo
- grandfather
- la abuela
- grandmother
How are all of these masculine nouns alike?
el gato
el perro
el chico
el abuelo
Hint: look at both the beginning and the ending of each line.
How are all of these feminine nouns alike?
la gata
la perra
la chica
la abuela
Hint: look at both the beginning and the ending of each line.
“El” and “la” both mean “the.”
el chico (the boy)
la chica (the girl)el perro (the male dog)
la gata (the female cat)
Note: These two words (el, la) are called “definite articles.” You will learn more about them in a later lesson.
What do you notice about the last letter of these nouns?
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|
| gato | gata |
| perro | perra |
| chico | chica |
| abuelo | abuela |
Nouns that end in -o are usually masculine. Nouns that end in -a are usually feminine. Notice the word usually! There are exceptions to these two rules and you will soon be learning them.
One cannot predict the gender of a noun that stands for a non-living thing. Try to predict whether the Spanish words for the following things are masculine or feminine:
Masculine or feminine?
book
house
money
window
One cannot predict the gender of a noun, except in the case of living creatures. Do not try to analyze the nature of the object, looking for some inherent masculinity or femininity. It won’t work!
Take a guess. Do you think the Spanish word for “dress” is masculine or feminine? You might expect it to be feminine, since a dress is an article of clothing worn by females.
Actually, the word for “dress” is a masculine word:
el vestido
Take another guess. Do you think the Spanish word for “necktie” is masculine or feminine? You might expect it to be masculine, since a necktie is an article of clothing worn by males.
Actually, the word for “necktie” is a feminine word:
la corbata
When you learn a new noun, you should also learn its definite article (el, la). There are several reasons for this:
- Because you cannot predict the gender of most nouns.
- Because not every noun that ends in -o is masculine, and not every noun that ends in -a is feminine.
- Because many nouns end in letters other than o or a.
- Because the definite article (el, la) is your clue as to whether a noun is masculine or feminine.
GENDER OF NOUNS: PART II
Notes:
- The written lesson is below.
- Links to quizzes, tests, etc. are to the left.
Masculine nouns that end in a consonant often have a corresponding feminine form that ends in -a.
el profesor
la profesorael doctor
la doctorael señor
la señora
Some nouns that refer to people use the same form for both masculine and feminine. These nouns indicate gender by the article (el or la).
el estudiante
la estudianteel pianista
la pianistael artista
la artista
Nouns that end in -sión, -ción, -dad, -tad, -tud, -umbre are feminine.
la televisión
la decisión
la conversación
la habitación
la ciudad
la universidad
la dificultad
la libertad
la actitud
la gratitud
la certidumbre
la muchedumbre
Some nouns that end in -a are masculine.
el problema
el telegrama
el programa
el mapa
el sistema
el poema
el día
el tema
el clima
el idioma
el sofá
el planeta
Many nouns that end in -ma are masculine. Notice that eight of the twelve nouns listed above end in -ma.
el telegrama
el programa
el problema
el sistema
el poema
el idioma
el clima
el tema
Note: A few nouns that end in -ma are feminine, such as la cama and la pluma.
Four of the nouns that end in -a are simply exceptions and must be memorized.
el día
el mapa
el planeta
el sofá
A few nouns that end in -o are feminine.
la mano
la radio
Review of the rules learned in lesson 1 and lesson 2.
- Many nouns that denote living things have both a masculine and a feminine form.
- Most nouns that end in -o are masculine.
- Most nouns that end in -a are feminine.
- Masculine nouns that end in a consonant often have a corresponding feminine form that ends in -a.
- Some nouns that refer to people use the same form for both masculine and feminine. These nouns indicate gender by the article (el or la).
- Nouns that end in -sión, -ción, -dad, -tad, -tud, -umbre are feminine.
- Many nouns that end in -ma are masculine.
- A few nouns that end in -o are feminine
CARDINAL NUMBERS: 1-10
Notes:
- The written lesson is below.
- Links to quizzes, tests, etc. are to the left.
Here are the numbers 1-10:
1. uno
2. dos
3. tres
4. cuatro
5. cinco
6. seis
7. siete
8. ocho
9. nueve
10. diezThe number “one” changes from “uno” to “un” before a masculine noun.
- un libro
- one book
- un perro
- one dog (male)
- un hombre
- one man
The number “one” changes from “uno” to “una” before a feminine noun.
- una pluma
- one pen
- una gata
- one cat (female)
- una chica
- one girl
When counting generically (one, two, three …) use “uno” but when counting specifically (one cat, one dog), use “un” or “una.”
- un libro
- one book
- una pluma
- one pen
- uno, dos, tres
- one, two, three
PLURAL FORMS OF NOUNS
Notes:
- The written lesson is below.
- Links to quizzes, tests, etc. are to the left.
If a noun ends in a vowel, make it plural by adding -s.
- libro: libros
- (libro + s)
- pluma: plumas
- (pluma + s)
- chico: chicos
- (chico + s)
- señora: señoras
- (señora + s)
The definite articles (el, la) also change in the plural form. They become “los” and “las.” The definite articles will be covered in depth in the next lesson.
el libro: los libros
la pluma: las plumas
el chico: los chicos
la señora: las señoras
If a noun ends in a consonant, make it plural by adding -es.
- el borrador: los borradores
- (borrador + es)
- la universidad: las universidades
- (universidad + es)
- el profesor: los profesores
- (profesor + es)
- la ciudad: las ciudades
- (ciudad + es)
If a noun ends in -ión, add -es and drop the written accent.
el avión: los aviones
la conversación: las conversaciones
la sección: las secciones
la televisión: las televisiones
Note: You may wonder why “avión” isn’t feminine. Notice that it doesn’t qualify for our rule which says that all nouns ending in -ción and sión are feminine.
If a noun ends in -z, add -es and change the z to c.
el lápiz: los lápices
la voz: las voces
el tapiz: los tapices
la actriz: las actrices
When the plural refers to two or more nouns of different genders, the masculine plural is used.
2 perros + 6 perras = 8 perros (not perras)
1 gato + 8 gatas = 9 gatos (not gatas)A few nouns are “compound nouns,” that is, they are formed by combining two words into one.
(Example: abre + latas = abrelatas / open + cans = can opener)
These compound nouns are always masculine, and the plural is formed by changing the “el” to “los.”
el abrelatas
los abrelatasel paraguas
los paraguasLet’s review the rules for making nouns plural.
- If a noun ends in a vowel, simply add -s.
- If a noun ends in a consonant, simply add -es.
- If a noun ends in a -z, change the z to c before adding -es.
- If a noun ends in ión, drop the written accent before adding -es.
- If the plural refers to a mixed group, use the masculine.
- For compound nouns, change “el” to “los”.
