Nouns
Gender of nouns
1. In Spanish, nouns are either masculine or feminine. Most nouns that end in –o are
masculine and most nouns that end in –a are feminine. Articles must agree in gender and
number with the nouns they modify. Masculine nouns take the definite articles el
(singular) or los (plural). Feminine nouns take the definite articles la (singular) or las
(plural).
Here are some examples.
El chico es alto.
The boy is tall.
Los chicos son altos.
The boys are tall.
La chica es baja.
The girl is short.
Las chicas son bajas.
The girls are short.
2. Not all nouns observe the final –o/-a gender rule. Some nouns that end in –a are
masculine.
el día
day
el mapa
map
el drama
drama
el idioma
language
el clima
climate
el poeta
poet
el problema
problem
el programa
program
el cura
priest
3. Some nouns that end in –o are feminine.
la mano
hand
la foto
photo
la moto
motorcycle
4. Certain endings imply that a noun is feminine. Most nouns ending in -dad, -tad,
-tud, -ión, -umbre, and -ie are feminine.
la ciudad
city
Nouns
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la voluntad
will
la muchedumbre
crowd
la actitud
attitude
la canción
song
la especie
species
5. Nouns ending in –s or other consonants can be either masculine or feminine. It is best
to memorize them.
el paraguas
umbrella
la crisis
crisis
el lunes
Monday
el papel
paper
la pared
wall
el rey
king
6. The gender of some nouns is determined by the article, not the noun ending.
el pianista
piano player (male)
la pianista
piano player
(female)
el artista
artist (male)
la artista
artist (female)
el joven
young man
la joven
young woman
el estudiante
male student
la estudiante
female student
7. Some nouns have only one gender for referring to males and females.
el individuo
individual
el ángel
angel
la persona
person
la víctima
victim
Use of articles
1. The meaning of certain nouns can change depending on whether they are preceded by
the masculine definite article (el) or feminine definite article (la). Notice the differences
in the following examples.
el capital
money
la capital
capital city
el corte
cut
la corte
court
el guía
guide (male)
la guía
guide (female) or
guidebook
el policía
police officer (male)
la policía
police officer (female)
or police force
Nouns
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2. To form the plural of a noun that ends in a vowel, add –s.
el libro
the book
los libros
the books
la mesa
the table
las mesas
the tables
la pantalla
the screen
las pantallas
the screens
3. To form the plural of a noun that ends in a consonant, add –es.
la mujer
the woman
las mujeres
the women
la pared
the wall
las paredes
the walls
el profesor
the professor
los profesores
the professors
el reloj
the clock
los relojes
The clocks
4. Nouns that end in –z have a special spelling change. To form the plural, change the –z
to –c and add –es.
el lápiz
the pencil
los lápices
the pencils
la luz
the light
las luces
the lights
5. When forming the plural of some nouns you will have to add or delete a written accent
mark to maintain the stressed syllable of the singular form.
la lección
the lesson
las lecciones
the lessons
la conversación
the conversation
las conversaciones
the conversations
el joven
the young man
los jóvenes
the young people
el examen
the exam
los exámenes
the exams
