Understanding Gendered Nouns, Adjectives, and Articles
In Spanish, nouns often have a gender, which determines the articles (words for a and the) and adjectives used with them. Here's how it works:
Basic Examples:
- El chico (the boy) vs La chica (the girl)
- Los chicos (the boys) vs Las chicas (the girls)
- Un chico (a boy) vs Una chica (a girl)
Most nouns ending with -o are masculine, while those ending with -a are feminine. However, there are exceptions to this rule.
Making Nouns Feminine:
- Los chicos (the boys) vs Las chicas (the girls)
- Los gatos (the male cats) vs Las gatas (the female cats)
- Los maestros (the male teachers) vs Las maestras (the female teachers)
Many nouns ending in consonants, like those ending in -or, will add an -a to form the feminine.
Additional Examples:
- El profesor (the male professor) vs La profesora (the female professor)
- Los profesores (the male professors) vs Las profesoras (the female professors)
Spanish Articles Chart
There are definite and Indefinite articles. Definite articles refer to a specific thing, and are translated as "the," while indefinite articles do not, and are translated as "a" or "some".
| Type | Masculine Singular | Masculine Plural | Feminine Singular | Feminine Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Definite Articles | El | Los | La | Las |
| Indefinite Articles | Un | Unos | Una | Unas |
In the boxes below, type the masculine, feminine, singular, and plural versions of each noun or adjective shown.
- Remember the word for “the” must change as well.
- Don’t forget to add an “s” (or “es” if the noun ends in a consonant) when referring to more than one person, place, or thing.
El amigo- Friend
El hijo- Child
El gato- Cat
El chico- Kid
El adulto- Adult
El perro- Dog
El usuario- User
El estudiante- Student
El pariente- Relative
El emprendedor- Entrepreneur
Noun
Masc./ Sing.
Masc./ Plur.
Fem./ Sing.
Fem./ Plur.
The friend
The child
The cat
The dog
The kid
The adult
The user
The student
The relative
The entrepreneur
Adjectives have to match the gender and number of the nouns they describe.
- El gato es caro. (The male cat is expensive).
- La gata es cara (The female cat is expensive).
- Los gatos son caros (The male cats are expensive).
- Las gatas son caras (The female cats are expensive).
Alto- Tall
Bueno- Good
Guapo- Cute
Rico- Rich
Invitado- Invited
Sobrante- Surplus
Importante- Important
Diferente- Different
Verde- Green
Abrumador- Overwhelming
Adjective
Masc./ Sing.
Masc./ Plur.
Fem./ Sing.
Fem./ Plur.
Tall
Good
Cute
Rich
Invited
Surplus
Important
Different
Green
Overwhelming
Responses