Gender
A1–A2Nouns and determiners 6 min
Every noun is masculine or feminine: most nouns in -o are masculine, el libro, and most in -a are feminine, la casa. Articles and adjectives take the gender of their noun: el libro nuevo, la casa nueva
No information at the current level. This view starts at A1: choose A1 or a higher level.
No information at the current level. This view starts at A1: choose A1 or a higher level.
CheatsheetA1–A2
| Point | Rule | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine | most nouns in -o | el libro | the book |
| Feminine | most nouns in -a | la casa | the house |
| Other endings | -e or a consonant: learn the article with the noun | el café / la noche | the coffee / the night |
| People | -o → -a | la niña / la amiga | the girl / the (female) friend |
| A2People in -or | the feminine adds -a | profesor → profesora | (female) teacher |
| A2One form for both | -ista, -nte: the article shows the sex | el estudiante / la estudiante | the (male) student / the (female) student |
| A2Feminine endings | -ción, -sión, -dad, -tad, -tud | la canción / la ciudad | the song / the city |
| A2Masculine endings | -aje, -or, and -ma in many nouns | el viaje / el problema | the trip / the problem |
| Agreement | articles and adjectives follow the noun | una casa blanca | a white house |
| A2Trap | día is masculine although it ends in -a | Buenos días. | Good morning. |
| A2Trap | mano is feminine although it ends in -o | Tengo las manos frías. | My hands are cold. |
OverviewA1
- Every noun is masculine or feminine, nouns for things too.
- The words that go with a noun take its gender: articles, adjectives, demonstratives and possessives. Esta casa es nueva. — This house is new.
- The ending gives a clue, and the article shows the gender for sure: learn each noun with its article.
- The forms of the articles: see Articles.
Form: gender by endingA1–A2
| Ending | Gender | Examples | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| -o | masculine | el libro / el vaso | the book / the glass |
| -a | feminine | la casa / la mesa | the house / the table |
| -e, a consonant | either | el hotel / la leche | the hotel / the milk |
| A2-ción, -sión | feminine | la canción / la televisión | the song / the television |
| A2-dad, -tad, -tud | feminine | la ciudad / la amistad / la salud | the city / friendship / health |
| A2-aje | masculine | el viaje / el mensaje | the trip / the message |
| A2-or | masculine | el color / el amor | the colour / love |
- A2A few frequent nouns break the pattern: el día, el mapa, la mano.
- A2Many nouns in -ma are masculine: el problema, el tema, el idioma, el programa. El español es un idioma bonito. — Spanish is a beautiful language.
- A short form keeps the gender of the full word: la fotografía → la foto, la motocicleta → la moto.
- A2flor is feminine although it ends in -or.
- A2A feminine noun that starts with a stressed a takes el in the singular: el agua. See Articles.
Nouns for peopleA1–A2
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|
| el niño | la niña |
| el amigo | la amiga |
| A2el profesor | la profesora |
| A2el señor | la señora |
| A2el estudiante | la estudiante |
| A2el periodista | la periodista |
| el padre | la madre |
| el hombre | la mujer |
| A2el actor | la actriz |
- For people, -o changes to -a.
- A2A final consonant adds -a: el profesor → la profesora.
- A2Nouns in -ista and most nouns in -nte keep one form, and the article shows the sex. La estudiante es de Chile. — The student is from Chile.
- A group of men and women takes the masculine plural. Tengo dos hermanos: Luis y Marta. — I have a brother and a sister: Luis and Marta.
AgreementA1
| Word | Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|---|
| Article | un libro | una casa |
| Adjective in -o | un libro nuevo | una casa nueva |
| Adjective in -e or a consonant | un libro grande | una casa grande |
| Demonstrative | este libro | esta casa |
- An adjective in -o changes to -a; an adjective in -e or a consonant keeps one form.
- Where adjectives go, and more on agreement: see Adjectives: Agreement and Position.
Typical errorsA1–A2
| ✗ | ✓ | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| A2la día | el día | día is masculine |
| A2el mano | la mano | mano is feminine |
| una casa blanco | una casa blanca | the adjective takes the gender of the noun |
| A2la problema | el problema | many nouns in -ma are masculine: el problema |
| A2el canción | la canción | nouns in -ción are feminine |
| el foto | la foto | la foto is short for la fotografía |
| A2Mi madre es profesor. | Mi madre es profesora. | a job noun changes for a woman: profesor → profesora |