Noun Gender

Spanish: El género de los sustantivos

Level: A1 Beginner

Category: nouns

Explanation

In Spanish, every noun has a gender: it is either masculine or feminine. This does not mean that objects have a sex; it is simply a grammatical classification. A noun's gender determines which article (el/la) and which adjectives go with it. For example, we say "el libro" (masculine) and "la mesa" (feminine). The most useful rule for beginners is to look at the ending of the word. Most nouns ending in -o are masculine (el niño, el perro, el vaso), and most nouns ending in -a are feminine (la niña, la casa, la silla). This rule works in the majority of cases and is a great starting point. Other endings also give clues. Words ending in -ción, -sión, -dad, -tad, and -umbre are usually feminine (la canción, la ciudad, la libertad). Words ending in -or, -aje, and -ma (of Greek origin) are usually masculine (el calor, el viaje, el problema). Remember that gender is fixed for each word, and you must learn it together with the noun. The best approach is to always memorize the article with the word: don't learn "mesa", learn "la mesa". That way, gender becomes natural over time.

Examples

• El cafe esta muy caliente. - The coffee is very hot.
• La cuenta, por favor. - The check, please.
• Donde esta la llave de la habitacion? - Where is the room key?
• El problema es que no tengo la reserva. - The problem is that I do not have the reservation.
• Quiero comprar el pan y la fruta. - I want to buy the bread and the fruit.