Understanding Gender in Spanish Nouns

Curious about how gender works with nouns in Spanish? Not sure whether a noun is feminine or masculine, or which article to use? Don’t worry—this lesson is totally doable!

Let’s start with the basics. Nouns, which name people, animals, plants, objects, feelings, and ideas, have gender in Spanish: they’re either masculine or feminine. Nouns can also be singular or plural.

So, every word for a person, place, thing, or idea is assigned a gender—masculine or feminine. This might seem tricky at first, but learning these rules is essential to avoid common mistakes when speaking Spanish.

How to Recognize Feminine and Masculine Nouns in Spanish

Spanish nouns have specific endings that indicate their gender, making it easier to identify whether a noun is feminine or masculine. All Spanish nouns are categorized into these two genders.

How to Use "The" and "A" in Spanish

The words "the" and "a" in Spanish both have a gender based on the gender of word they are attached to, for example:

• Masculine: El carro (The car)
• Feminine: La casa (The house)
• Masculine: Un carro (A car)
• Feminine: Una casa (A house)

Common Feminine Noun Endings

In Spanish, nouns ending in -a, -ción, -ía, -dad, -ed, -id, -ud, -ez, -eza, or -is are usually feminine. Here are some examples:

Nouns ending in -a:

• La tristeza (sadness)
• La casa (the house)
• La vecina (the neighbor)

Nouns ending in -ción (similar to -tion in English):

• La canción (the song)
• La purificación (purification)
• La legislación (legislation)

Nouns ending in -ía, -ie:

• La geografía (geography)
• La caligrafía (calligraphy)
• La intemperie (the outdoors)

Nouns ending in -ad, -ed, -id, -ud:

• La ciudad (the city)
• La verdad (the truth)
• La sed (thirst)
• La pared (the wall)
• La salud (health)

Nouns ending in -ez, -eza, -iz:

• La niñez (childhood)
• La solidez (solidity)
• La nariz (the nose)

Nouns ending in -is:

• La crisis (crisis)
• La tendinitis (tendinitis)
• La apendicitis (appendicitis)

Exceptions with Spanish Feminine Nouns

Beware of exceptions! While most Spanish nouns ending in -o are masculine, there are some feminine nouns that also end in -o:

• La foto (the picture)
• La mano (the hand)

Additionally, some masculine nouns have feminine-sounding endings:

Masculine nouns ending in -d:

• El ataúd (the coffin)
• El césped (the grass)
• El huésped (the guest)

Masculine nouns ending in -is:

• El arcoíris (the rainbow)
• Los bisturís (scalpels)
• Los grafitis (graffiti)

Common Masculine Noun Endings in Spanish

Now, let’s explore the typical endings for masculine nouns in Spanish. These include -o, -an, -en, -in, -on, -un, accented vowels, -or, -ate, -ete, -ote, and -aje.

Nouns Ending in -o:

• El niño (the boy)
• El carro (the car)
• El camino (the road)

Nouns Ending in -an, -en, -in, -on, -un:

• Pan (bread)
• Tren (train)
• Camión (truck)
• Común (common)

Nouns Ending in an Accented Vowel:

• -á: el sofá (the sofa)
• -é: té (tea)
• -és: estrés (stress)

Nouns Ending in -ate, -ete, -ote:

• Tomate (tomato)
• Capote (cloak)
• Elote (corn)
• Banquete (feast)

Nouns Ending in -aje:

• El coraje (courage)
• El abordaje (approach)
• El equipaje (luggage)

Other Masculine Nouns to Know

There are also other categories of nouns that are typically masculine.

Days of the Week

In Spanish, the days of the week are masculine:

• El jueves (Thursday)
• El lunes (Monday)
• El viernes (Friday)

Compound Nouns

Two-word and compound nouns are usually masculine:

• El rascacielos (skyscraper)
• El abrelatas (can opener)
• El tapabocas (face mask)
• El sitio web (website)
• El año luz (light-year)

Geographical Names

Geographical names are often masculine:

• El Amazonas (the Amazon)
• El Pacífico (the Pacific Ocean)

Exceptions: Masculine Nouns Ending in -a

While most nouns ending in -a are feminine, some masculine nouns break this rule:

• El aroma (scent)
• El clima (climate)
• El cura (priest)
• El diagrama (diagram)

Short Words Ending in -a:
Certain short words that end in -a are masculine, too:

• Disco, discoteca (disco)
• Foto, fotografía (photo)
• Moto, motocicleta (motorbike)

How to Use Articles and Adjectives with Masculine and Feminine Nouns in Spanish

Understanding whether a noun is masculine or feminine is crucial in Spanish, as it dictates which article (el, la, los, las) and adjective ending (-a, -o) you should use.

Here's a quick guide:

Masculine Nouns:

Use el (the) for singular masculine nouns and los (the) for plural masculine nouns. Adjectives for masculine nouns typically end in -o.

• El carro (the car)
• Los carros (the cars)
• El perro (the dog)
• Los perros (the dogs)

Feminine Nouns:
Use la (the) for singular feminine nouns and las (the) for plural feminine nouns. Feminine nouns use adjectives that end in -a.

• La niña (the girl)
• Las niñas (the girls)
• La casa (the house)
• Las casas (the houses)

Changing Noun Gender and Number

From Masculine to Feminine:
To change a masculine noun to a feminine one, simply replace the -o ending with -a.

• Niño (boy) → Niña (girl)
• Mesero (waiter) → Mesera (waitress)

Forming Plurals:
Most singular nouns become plural by adding -s.

• Carro (car) → Carros (cars)
• Botella (bottle) → Botellas (bottles)
• Cama (bed) → Camas (beds)

For nouns ending in a consonant (non-vowel), add -es to form the plural.

• Mes (month) → Meses (months)
• Pared (wall) → Paredes (walls)
• Papel (paper) → Papeles (papers)
• Ley (law) → Leyes (laws)

If a noun ends in -z, change the -z to -c before adding -es.

• Pez (fish) → Peces (fish)
• Voz (voice) → Voces (voices)

Gender Agreement with Adjectives

In Spanish, adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe. If the noun is feminine, both the article and adjective should be feminine. If the noun is plural, the adjective and article must also be plural.

Examples:

• La pelota es blanca. (The ball is white.)
• La mesa redonda (the round table)
• El niño pequeño (the small boy)
• Los perros negros (the black dogs)
• Las niñas altas (the tall girls)

This guide should help you confidently use articles and adjectives with masculine and feminine nouns in Spanish!