Gender of Nouns #9• Standard 1.2: Students understand and interpret
written and spoken language on a variety of topics Standard 4.1: Students demonstrate understanding of
the nature of language through comparisons of the language studied and their own.
Objective: Students will be introduced to gender of nouns in Spanish and how all nouns fit into a gender category.
Nouns name people, animals, places or things. You need to remember the following things about nouns in Spanish:
• All nouns in Spanish have gender. (i.e. masculine & feminine)
el chico (masculine)la chica (feminine)la falda (feminine)el pelo (masculine)
index
MURPHY
Usually a noun is masculine if it ends in an “o” and feminine if it ends in an “a”. However, when a word ends in a consonant you need to memorize the definite article with the noun.
• Here are some examples of nouns that end in consonants:
el suéter (masculine)la mujer (feminine)
la estudiante (feminine)el hombre (masculine)
index
When nouns identify only one item, they are singular.
• Here are some examples of nouns that in the singular form:
el señor (masculine)la señora (feminine)
la profesora (feminine)el estudiante (masculine)
index
When nouns identify more than one item, they are plural.
• Here are some examples of nouns that in the plural form:
los señores (masculine)las señoras (feminine)
las profesoras (feminine)los estudiantes (masculine)
index
In Spanish, the definite article that accompanies a noun will match its gender and number.
• Here are some examples of nouns that in the plural form:
el cuarderno (singular)los cuardernos (plural)
la maleta (singular)las maletas (plural)
index
Some nouns have 1 form that are both masculine and feminine.
el estudiantela estudiante
el modelola modeloel policíala policía
index
CASA
la
index
PANTALONES
los
index
ZAPATO
el
index
AMIGOS
los
index
CAMISETA
la
index
HOMBRE
el
index
ESTUDIANTE
el, la
index
DOCTOR
el
index
ARTISTA
el, la
index
PLOMERO
el
index
FALDA
la
index
AMIGOS
los
index
VESTIDOS
los
index
ESTUDIANTES
los, las
index
TARDE
la
index
POLICÍA
el, la
index
JEANS
los
index
BOLSA
la
index
GATOS
los
index
CALCETINES
los
index
MODELO
el, la
index
OJOS
los
index
A noun may sometimes appear with an indefinite article. The indefinite articles that accompanies a nouns will also match its gender and number.
un chico unos chicosuna camisa unas camisasun estudiante unos estudiantes
index
OJOS
unos
index
HOMBRE
un
index
CASA
una
PANTALONES
unos
index
ESTUDIANTES
unos, unas
index
SUÉTERES
unos
index
MODELOS
unos, unas
index
ROPA
una
index
CALCETÍN
un
indexindexindex