The Spanish gender can be distinguished with certain endings or by checking the gender of the adjectives, pronouns and Spanish articles surrounding that word. Sometimes the word is the same and we can only figure out the meaning with the articles or pronouns that go with them: El capital (money) La capital (capital city), El editorial (editorial) La editorial (publisher), El pendiente (earring) La pendiente (slope). As a result, depending on the noun, a number can be either feminine or masculine. These key rules will make it easier for you! Dictionaries always indicate the grammatical gender of a noun! . All the Spanish nouns ending in cin, -sin, -tad, -tud, -dad or umbre are feminine: There are some Spanish nouns that have the same form for both masculine and feminine. In this lesson, we'll look at the differences between masculine and feminine nouns and learn some tips to remember them. Access millions of accurate translations written by our team of experienced English-Spanish translators. For instance, a cat can be el gato (masculine) or la . The journalist works all day. el day is masculine and is the ONLY exception. More often than not, the endings change according to the gender of the person or animal: Sometimes only the article changes. Nouns ending in -cin, -sin, -dad, -tad and -tud are feminine: la cancin, relacin, la televisin, la expresin, la ciudad, la verdad, la libertad, la amistad, la solicitud, la juventud, etc. Join the Tell Me In Spanish community and get a copy of my step-by-step Spanish Learners Roadmaps and tricky synonyms & vocab cheat sheets. Sugared water is bad for your health. -A, -in, -dad, -tad and -tud are all endings for feminine words. The 27 Letters of the Spanish Alphabet [2022], Learn Basic Spanish: The First 10 Spanish Words You Need To Learn [2022]. Your lipstick is so pretty! Your house is big and pretty. The opposite time of day, la noche (night), is feminine, so you can think of them as a pair. Why is a car masculine but a house feminine? This means that every time you use a noun, you must express whether its a feminine or masculine word. *People, animals and occupations have their own set of rules. My students are already speaking Spanish and using it in their everyday lives. Very often our students at Fluenz get genders mixed We can include el/la cineasta within this group. Mi gatita est enferma. by Kcastonguay. For that reason, in this guide, Ill provide you with all the key information you need to know to determine the gender of nouns in Spanish. However, on top of its irregularities, this verb also has E to I and E to IE stem changes in certain tenses. El nino y el gato. As a result, here are some frequently asked questions that most of my students usually have. The same goes for nouns ending with -or: el amor, el dolor, el error, el sabor, etc. . A few of the most common ones are: Any words that are actually a shorter form of a longer word. In Spanish if there is a group of people, both males and females, you use the masculine to address them all, so masculine will work in most cases. (general) a. vacation (United States) Me urge una vacacin! Just think of the Spanish word for problem: el problema! These adjectives are derived from the name of that place. Here are the exceptions to this rule. Create your account. Within the Fluenz team, amongst us who Spanish is our first language we still have numerous discussions onwhether certain words are masculine or feminine. Lingua Linkup, May. Here's what's included: Get conjugations, examples, and pronunciations for millions of words and phrases in Spanish and English. In the following sections, well explore some of Spanishs most important rules for feminine and masculine nouns. This means that every word for a person, place, thing or idea is either masculine or feminine. And they can be a little confusing because sometimes the noun endings change (the masculineel doctor and the feminine la doctora), but sometimes they dont (the masculineel poeta and the femininela poeta). 3. While most nouns refer to objects and concepts that dont have gender, there are also the nouns that do. Those singers are Spanish. All of these expressions, as well as a number of others, have one thing in common. Los dentistas estn muy jvenes. Las aguas azucaradas son malas para la salud. When referring to people or animals, most of the time Spanish nouns can be transformed into feminine words by simply replacing the -o with an -a. That said, we need to get something out of the way before diving into the rules for gender in Spanish. This rule is only applicable to the following numbers: Tengo doscientos pesos. This allows us to ease the pronunciation! Masculine forms. 33 chapters | La mano- the hand- feminine. Her bedroom is purple. You will notice that when adjectives modify such words, they are feminine: El agua est fra o tibia? That color is pretty. Subscribe to the Lawless Spanish newsletter, New lessons and features in your inbox every Thursday. document.write(d); What Mono means? Miami Beach, FL 33139, 1000 5th St, suite 200 How do numbers and gender affect adjectives in Spanish? "Favourite" is "favorito" in Spanish. For these nouns, all you have to do is change the definite article to reflect whether the person in question is male or female. To do so, youll use Spanish articles, adjectives, or pronouns. Thomas grew up in suburban Massachusetts, and moved to New York City for college. La serpiente - the serpent. The Amazon River is the worlds largest river. by Classroom52. Venir is an irregular verb in Spanish. The electric scooter is very practical. In . either to a group of male persons or a . Your neighbor is very noisy. Many people mistakenly think the gender of a noun in Spanish is determined by who uses that object. Janet Long has taught post-secondary Spanish and English for over 15 years. Follow this link if you want to know WHY nouns have a gender in Spanish. If the noun is masculine and singular, use the masculine, singular ending (usually - o ). Probar is an O to UE stem-changing verb. A Spanish noun is a word we use to name people, things, concepts, places, and animals. Su mano es muy pequeo.His hand is very small. Create an account to start this course today. You will get new updates by email, as well as a copy of my ebook, the Definitive Guide to Learn Conjugations in Spanish. Our tutors at Fluenz Spanish Immersion like to explain the noun gender in this way: Think of the article almost as part of the word. 1) For example, the days (el da), months (el mes), and years (el ao) are masculine; while letters of the alphabet (la letra) and the hours (la hora) of the day are feminine. They actually come from Ancient Greek and they are all masculine: el dilema, el emblema, el teorema, el fonema, el lexema. A noun is a word referring to a person, animal, place, thing, feeling or idea (e.g. Reading comprehension. las vacaciones de Navidad, las vacaciones de Pascua, las vacaciones de verano. Hay un frente fro en la ciudad. El Amazonas es el ro ms largo del mundo. To put it in simple terms, if youre working with a Spanish masculine noun, you must make sure its modifiers are also masculine. This power point explains how Spanish nouns, articles and adjectives have gender and number. Forms of feminine and masculine nouns. To keep the sentence consistent, adjectives, articles, and pronouns must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. It is usually at the end of words that describe people, like artista (artist) and realista (realist). SpanishDict is the world's most popular Spanish-English dictionary, translation, and learning website. Boroditsky proposes that because the word for "bridge" in German die brucke is a feminine noun, and the word for "bridge" in Spanish el puente is a masculine noun, native speakers. Feminine and masculine nouns ending in -E. Nouns ending in -e can be masculine and feminine. Generally, if the masculine form ends with an -o, to form the feminine you just need to replace it with an -a: If the masculine form ends witn a consonant, to form the feminine we just add an -a: They usually have the same form for masculine and feminine: el/la estudiante, el/la cantante, el/la agente, el/la paciente, etc. Be aware that these guidelines are not set in stone, and there are some exceptions that youll need to memorize. El periodista trabaja todo el da. Why is it important to know if a noun is feminine or masculine? You know that people and animals are masculine or feminine, but did you know that nouns in Spanish have gender? Tell Me In Spanish (tellmeinspanish.com) is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. That being said, there are, of course, exceptions to this rule. Then its time to test yourself with a quick quiz we put together. One of the first things that Spanish students learn is that most Spanish nouns that end in -o are masculine and most that end in -a are feminine. It's time to Get to Grips with Spanish. My dogs are very quiet. The adjective for Italia is italiano. El ftbol es muy aburrido. I like the pink dress. Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English. Something like ZAD? Now lets check out the tricks for masculine nouns in Spanish. Spanish Survival Kit: Asking for Directions [2022]. The letters of the alphabet are feminine: la a, la be, la ce, la de, etc. Well the answer is just because . Ests muy estresado; necesitas irte de vacaciones. Next year I am going to vacation in Europe. As explained before, a big portion of masculine words in Spanish end with an -o. vacation translate: vacances [feminine, plural], vacances [feminine, plural], passer ses vacances, vacances, passer des. is vacation in spanish masculine or feminine. In his spare time, he enjoys reading and getting angry about things on. Fortunately, even the exceptions have rules. The mechanic works every day. If you liked this post, you can share it with someone else who might find it helpful! While this is actually true for a lot of words, there are so many exceptions to this rule that it often becomes more of a problem than a solution. Learn all about the Spanish gender roles below Feminine (la) vs Masculine (el). There are some nouns that end in a, but they are not feminine, but masculine: And vice versa, some nouns that end in -o are feminine: When a masculine noun ends in a consonant, its feminine form ends in a (We just have to had an a after that last consonant). Most words that end in the letter -o are masculine. When you are starting out in Spanish knowing the gender of nouns is very difficult. The following Spanish nouns all denote living creatures. trabajador m (plural trabajadores, feminine trabajadora, feminine plural trabajadoras) worker Synonyms: currante, obrero, trabajante; Derived terms Names of rivers, oceans, and seas are always masculine: el Ro de la Plata, el Amazonas, el Misisipi, el Atlntico, el Pacfico, el Mediterrneo, etc. For example, we usually say la moto for motorcycle, which ends in an -o. Nouns ending in -o, an accented vowel, -or, or -aje are usually masculine. Tu vecina es muy ruidosa. For instance, when the word for a person or occupation ends in -e. When occupations end in -a it gets messy. In any case, if a word has any of the following endings you can be absolutely sure that it is masculine. Equal Opportunity Employment Program The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre hires on the basis of merit and is strongly committed to equity, diversity and inclusion within its community. https://lingualinkup.com/el-la-spanish/ (accessed var d = (new Date()).toString().split(' ').splice(1,3).join(' '); This means that most Spanish adjectives will change their gender to match the noun. This site also participates in other affiliate programs, including CJ and other sites, and is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies, but in no way increases the cost to you if you opt to make a purchase from my links. When using adjectives to describe a person, use the gender that the person identifies with. No me di cuenta, ya lo correg , Your email address will not be published. Copyright Curiosity Media, Inc., a division of IXL Learning. I have one hundred pesos. The word for 'the' or 'a' changes depending on the gender of the noun and whether it is singular or plural. Copyright Curiosity Media, Inc., a division of IXL Learning All Rights Reserved. The wall is newly painted. Maybe you could make up your own! Many students assume that confusing the gender of words in Spanish is not a big deal. Este restaurante es muy famoso. With these rules below, you'll know which to use with every word "el" or "la". A noun is a word used to denominate a person, thing, place or concept. The following words are feminine when plural, but when they are singular, these words are masculine: Another exception is that the el or la can change the context of the word: Online Spanish Tutors - Native Speakers. Dont be shy and post a message! Given that its key for your conversations and it can also help you practice this spelling change, in this guide, well learn the probar conjugation Hola! Your email address will not be published. When using demonstrative pronouns (esta, esa, aquella) with these words, they stay feminine. If you are starting to learn Spanish, we only introduce the concept of gender differences a couple of sessions in. For example: Subscribe for free weekly updates from this Spanish Language site. That means you have to know when to use El or La for every single noun. I want a coffee, please. And to improve your Spanish even further, book a lesson with me! With these rules below, youll know which to use with every word el or la. A lot of them are identical or almost identical to words you already know in English! (in summer) a. veranear Copyright 2006 Harrap Publishers Limited vacation noun 1 especially (Britain) (Jur) receso (m) vacacional (formal); periodo (m) vacacional Copyright 2006 Harrap Publishers Limited. Soy Daniela Sanchez, Ive taught Spanish in Mexico to a wide array of foreigners. In Spanish nationalities are expressed through origin adjectives (known as gentilicios in Spanish). Both are masculine in Spanish, but when translated to French they become feminine even though the words are almost exactly the same: la couleur, la dent. Colors are ADJECTIVES. We said all words ending in -a are feminine. Most Spanish masculine nouns end in "o". The Ultimate Tip-Sheet to Articles in Spanish: El vs La, Un vs Una [2022], Puzzle Solved: Why nouns in Spanish are feminine and masculine [2022]. We would say El mdicO, La mdicO. 2023 Lawless Spanish. Sus zapatos son muy caros. The judge is always on time. Colors are always masculine, even if they end with -a: el rojo, el negro, el azul, el naranja, el prpura, etc. Animals With Irregular Masculine And Feminine Forms. Helpful, right? Adjectives describing, agua are feminine. Get a Step-by-Step Map to Learning Spanish. In Italian (including all Italian dialects) and Portuguese, the sea is strictly masculine: il mare (Sicilian: u mari, Venetian: el mar, Neapolitan: 'o mare, Sardinian: su mari, Corsican: u mare) and o mar (the same for Galician); however in French and Romanian it is feminine: la mer and la mare. The Verb To Need: Sometimes you Really Need it. If you know your endings and what gender they fall into, the onlyexception to keep in mind is when the word refers to a person, an animal or an occupation because the person or animal will determine the gender of the word. La mochila roja me gusta ms. More examples: rea (el rea/las reas), aula (el aula/las aulas), guila (el guila/las guilas), etc. Here are two articles that help shed some light on the subject: Puzzle Solved: Why nouns in Spanish are feminine and masculine, The Ultimate Tip-Sheet to Articles in Spanish: (El vs. La, Un vs. Una), Your email address will not be published. Be one of them! This attribute allows us to classify words as either masculine or feminine. But, as youll see in the examples below, some popular words are the exception to this rule. I like the pink dress. Do you see those words ending with -ma? Because gender is such an integral part of learning Spanish your best bet as an English speaker is to acquire each new word with its respective article. Como La Flor, by Selena. Words ending simply in -inare often masculine, as in: el camin, el avin, etc., so bear that in mind! Although its not really incorrect to use the feminine form, its less common. The Masculine and feminine 1 Whack-a-mole. Usted is used to speak in a more professional manner. In plain English, this book explains the Masculine & Feminine elements of Spanish, plus the rules around Singular & Plural. My mom has a cherry tree. Our car is dirty. As mentioned above, this rule comes into effect with amounts superior to two hundred. But for example to most of us the word mdicAsounds wrong- we wouldnt use it. Yet if you are referring to a person or occupation this is what happens: LA espa = The spy (if the spy is a woman. La disco is short for la discoteca, andla foto is short forla fotografa. If you were referring to a male friend, which article would you use EL or LA? 4. If the occupation ends in -a it tends not to change. Over time we've worked to perfect every minute of every learning session. The grammatical gender is an arbitrary classification that divides nouns into two types: masculines or feminines. But that is also the beauty of a language, and the fact that it is alive and evolving is one of the elements that I find personally interesting. In the tables below, youll find the most common endings for feminine words in Spanish. When it comes to the world of animals, things can get even more complicated. noun uk / veke.n/ us / veke.n/ A1 [ C or U ] US (UK holiday) a time when someone does not go to work or school but is free to do what they want, such as travel or relax vacaciones We're taking a vacation in June. In Spanish, all nouns are either masculine or feminine. Professions also refer to people, but are kind of their own subset. Im always glad to reach and help more people around the world. These nouns keep the same spelling, regardless of gender a fact that cuts down the number of words you have to memorize to speak and write Spanish like a native. Making educational experiences better for everyone. The only exception to the weekly sampling rate occurred between sessions 11 and 12 when the family took a two-week. In both theFluenz online programand the Fluenz Spanish Immersions, we take it one step at a time. Take Note: Do not get mixed up! Possible excuses include hospitalization. #RAEconsultas Although vacaciones is the majority use, the singular vacacin is also correct: la vacacin veraniega (P. Lan Entralgo). The kids play in the park. Animals With A Regular Masculine And Feminine Form. Add vacation to one of your lists below, or create a new one. Estamos de vacaciones en la Florida ahora mismo. That pattern works for things too. But if you paid close attention to those words, you may have noticed that none of them had the suffix -in: El balcn es muy grande. Tengo una pluma extra. endings to determine the gender of a word in Spanish. List of colors in Spanish 1. In contrast to English, the Spanish plural of the masculine forms of these words refers to "not-all-feminine" groups, i.e. Los delfines son adorables. Tweet. and an adjective (hungry, thirsty,. While most nouns that end with a particular consonant or vowel are generally classified as either masculine or feminine, nouns that end with z do not follow a guideline. The song is too long. I hope this helps. Test yourself on the gender of Spanish nouns: Note: You must be logged into your Progress with Lawless Spanish account to take these tests. El diseo de mi prima no est terminado. Take the Spanish words for "colour" and "tooth": el color, el diente. There is not a single pattern, as you can see from the following examples. Even though Spanish is a language of exceptions, there are a few guidelines that can help when wanting to determine if a noun is feminine or masculine. My parents spent the Easter holidays in Argentina. Got all that? Mi padres pasaron las vacaciones de Semana Santa en Argentina. Este semestre est bien pesado. Beware of exceptions! "Water" in Spanish is not masculine. 501 lessons. Singapur es muy caro. But it is something that even advanced students mix up once in a while. Some animals, particularly those you dont come in contact with every day, tend to have one accepted Spanish grammatical gender. Cardinal directions are masculine, too: el norte, el sur, el este, el oeste. las vacaciones and la estaci'on. Which brings us to the only exception to these rules! Or el agua in singular, while las aguas in plural. Names of lakes, oceans, seas, and rivers. The idea here is that words that end in any of the letters L-O-N-E-R-S tend to be masculine. We do this in order to avoid a cacophony, a mixture of unpleasant sounds to our ears. el clima (the weather) For objects and concepts, Spanish gender is, The Spanish masculine gender can be used to talk about a, Most feminine words in Spanish end with , Singular feminine words that start with a, Certain nouns related to professions have fixed endings. La foto, can actually shed some light into one of the rules for feminine words. The man sneezed.). Pink is my favorite color. Singapore is very expensive. (= Is the water cold or lukewarm?). Spanish gender is a complex topic. This t-shirt is black. vacation translate: vacances [feminine, plural], vacances [feminine, plural], passer ses vacances, vacances, passer des. It's the person's gender that will determine whether we use el or la. . But that has changed with time, and thus we end up with rules that are blurry which do not help when those starting to learn Spanish. So how come it's "el problema" and not "la problema" since "el" should always modify a masculine noun and "la" a feminine noun. 2. The name Isaac means 'he will laugh.'. The dish is white with blue stripes. Hubo mil quinientos invitados.There were one thousand five hundred guests. As we mention in the masculine section, many words that end in-e are masculine. Most Spanish adjectives must agree in gender and number with the accompanying noun. The user may also prefer cheaper vacations and may have desiderata or wishes such as visiting an attraction park in each stop. Nouns ending with -aje are usually masculine: el masaje, el garaje, el paisaje, el pasaje, el peaje, etc. Not bad, huh? La sangre - the blood. La comida estuvo muy rica. Another example of this is la radio, which is a shorter form of the word radiodifusin. Exceptions: la mano, la radio, la moto, la foto. Men wish that they had been warriors, or are proud that they once were. La verdad puede ser dolorosa. El toro es muy agresivo y la vaca muy tranquila. Necesito un respiro de mi familia despus de la reunin. Both are fem. The endings are not so obvious. There are also adjectives where the singular masculine form ends in -e or a consonant, and it keeps the same form in the feminine singular ( verde, azul, gris, marrn) and both gender . So, you would have to establish if that friend is a male or a female to determine which article to use. Talking about people, especially family members, often includes referring to gender. I love smoked salmon. Mi primo tambin es inteligente. [Determiner] + [noun] + [verb conjugated] + [adjective]. Because of this, he has really hard opinions about AP Style. Names of rivers, lakes, and oceans are usually masculine; names of mountains are usually feminine. Este semestre est bien pesado.I desperately need a vacation! An exception is nene (colloquial term for little kid): el nene -> la nena. I desperately need a vacation! Dolphins are adorable. There is one other ending that ends in -a, -ista, that is actually both feminine and masculine. But since doctor refers to a person and an occupation, its the gender of the doctor that will determine the article and ending. This name is also derived from the Hebrew name Yitzhak which means ' one who rejoices.'. Most adjectives in Spanish can be either feminine or masculine depending on the genre of the accompanying noun. Remember that nouns that end with z do not follow a default gender guideline. Search millions of Spanish-English example sentences from our dictionary, TV shows, and the internet. These apples are very sour. A student learns how to identify gender in Spanish. For instance, a table (la mesa) is feminine, while a desk (el escritorio) is masculine. This attribute allows us to classify words as either masculine or feminine. Most masculine nouns end in -o, like hermano, meaning 'brother' and most feminine nouns end in -a, like hermana, meaning 'sister'. Memorizing just the exceptions will be a lot easier than memorizing every single word in the Spanish language. The word espaol was supposedly imported from Provence by a medieval chronicler (it was originally introduced by pilgrims in Santiago) because there was no existing translation of the earlier Roman word Hispani when writing a chronicle of Spanish history, but this was the word Provenal speakers used to refer to the Christian kingdoms of what Now lets see how to know if a word is masculine or feminine in Spanish when talking about people and animals. Every single noun in Spanish has a gender: feminine or masculine. When they describe a NOUN, they must match its GENDER (masculine/feminine). But, sometimes a word is a shorter forms of a longer word, like moto or radio. One ending with a final -a, -ista, can be used on words for male or female people, and is both masculine and feminine. Feminine nouns have different letters at the end of them than masculine ones. Luis dog is white. The adjective for Canad . 250 words that are the same in English and Spanish, Spanish words that are similar to English words, its not really incorrect to use the feminine form. Comment *document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "afd5b14b53088abe26398d903d076933" );document.getElementById("a465f5e1c1").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Les gusta irse de vacaciones a las Bahamas. This can be very confusing. If a color is working as a Spanish adjective, it will need to change its gender to agree with the noun unless such a color ends with a consonant or -e. If you have studied Spanish, you are painfully aware of this. The pink t-shirt is too big. La parte - the part. Take Note: To pluralize these Spanish words, you must change the -z for the ending -ces. Hay cien sillas disponibles. All nouns in Spanish have a gender, and are either feminine or masculine. However, in certain situations, changing the gender of a noun can also change its meaning, as you can see in the graphic and examples below: Mi mam tiene un cerezo. Part of Paglia's understanding of men's and women's sexual "personae" is shaped by Nietzsche's Apollonian/Dionysian polarity: The former represents the masculine impulse for stoic order and rationality, while the latter represents the feminine drive toward ecstatic, bodily revelry and the chaotic, unpredictable forces of the natural world.