The rule
Learn each noun with its article: el (masculine) or la (feminine), as in el libro and la mesa. Plural: -s after a vowel, -es after a consonant. An adjective agrees with the noun in gender and number and comes after it: la casa blanca, los libros rojos.
Gender: endings and articles
| Ending | Usually | Examples | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| -o | masculine: el, un | el libro, el zapato, un vaso | la mano, la foto, la moto |
| -a | feminine: la, una | la casa, la mesa, una camisa | el día, el mapa, el problema, el idioma, el sofá |
| -ción, -sión, -dad, -tad | feminine | la canción, la habitación, la ciudad, la universidad | none worth learning at this level |
| -or | masculine | el color, el amor | la flor |
| -e | no rule: learn the article | el coche, el hombre, el café, la noche, la clase, la calle, la llave | the article is the only sign |
| other consonants | no rule: learn the article | el hotel, el reloj, el árbol, el autobús, la sal | the article is the only sign |
English has no grammatical gender, so this is new: in Spanish even a table or a house is masculine or feminine, and the word for "the" changes with it (el / la, plural los / las; "a" is un / una). The gender of a thing says nothing about the thing itself, so do not try to guess it from the meaning. Learn la mesa, not just "mesa", and the article will pull the rest of the phrase along.
Examples
- El libro es rojo. The book is red.
- La casa es blanca. The house is white.
- Los zapatos son negros. The shoes are black.
- Las camisas son baratas. The shirts are cheap.
- Hay dos lápices azules en la mesa. There are two blue pencils on the table.
- El problema es difícil. The problem is difficult.
- La profesora es española. The teacher is Spanish.
- Los padres son jóvenes. The parents are young.
- Hay una canción bonita. There is a nice song.
Exceptions and people
A few common words break the -o / -a hint, so treat them as vocabulary: el día, el mapa, el problema, el idioma, el sofá are masculine; la mano, la foto, la moto are feminine. Nouns in -e and in a consonant have no reliable rule, apart from the endings in the table.
For people, many nouns have two forms: el profesor / la profesora, el chico / la chica, el padre / la madre. Others keep one form and only the article changes: el estudiante / la estudiante, el turista / la turista, el artista / la artista. A mixed group takes the masculine plural: los padres are a father and a mother, los hermanos can be brothers, or brothers and sisters, los chicos can include girls.
Plural: forms and spelling
| Singular ends in | Plural | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| a vowel | add -s | casa - casas, coche - coches, libro - libros |
| a consonant | add -es | hotel - hoteles, flor - flores, ciudad - ciudades, reloj - relojes |
| -z | -z becomes -ces | lápiz - lápices, luz - luces |
| a written accent | the accent may disappear or appear | canción - canciones, autobús - autobuses, joven - jóvenes, examen - exámenes |
The accent follows the stress: adding -es to canción gives a word that is stressed on the same syllable without needing a mark, while joven and examen gain one so that the stress does not move. You do not have to calculate it now: just learn these four pairs by heart.
Adjectives: agreement and position
| Type | Masculine singular | Feminine singular | Masculine plural | Feminine plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -o | blanco | blanca | blancos | blancas |
| -e | verde | verde | verdes | verdes |
| consonant | azul, fácil, joven | azul, fácil, joven | azules, fáciles, jóvenes | azules, fáciles, jóvenes |
| -z | feliz | feliz | felices | felices |
| nationality in a consonant | español, inglés, alemán | española, inglesa, alemana | españoles, ingleses, alemanes | españolas, inglesas, alemanas |
English adjectives never change and come before the noun: white house, white houses. In Spanish the adjective agrees with the noun and, for colours, size and quality, comes after it: una casa blanca, dos casas blancas, un libro nuevo. Adjectives in -o have four forms; those in -e or a consonant have two (only the number changes). If an adjective describes a mixed group, use the masculine plural: Ana y Luis son altos.
Tip
When you meet a new noun, write it down with el or la and with its plural if it is unusual: la ciudad / las ciudades, el lápiz / los lápices. Gender and number then come as one piece.
Common mistakes
Tengo una casa blanco.Tengo una casa blanca. The adjective copies the noun: casa is feminine.Hay dos casas blanca.Hay dos casas blancas. A plural noun needs a plural adjective.El mesa es grande.La mesa es grande. Mesa is feminine, so la.La problema es difícil.El problema es difícil. Problema ends in -a but is masculine.Es una mapa de la ciudad.Es un mapa de la ciudad. Mapa is another masculine word in -a.Hay dos lápizes en la mesa.Hay dos lápices en la mesa. -z becomes -c before -es.Hay tres autobus en la calle.Hay tres autobuses en la calle. A consonant takes -es in the plural.Las flores son rojos.Las flores son rojas. Flor is feminine, so the adjective is feminine too.
Questions
How do I know if a Spanish noun is masculine or feminine?
Look at the ending first: -o is usually masculine and -a feminine, and -ción, -sión, -dad, -tad are feminine. For the rest, and for the exceptions, learn the noun with el or la.
Why is el día masculine when it ends in -a?
The ending is only a strong hint. A few common nouns do not follow it: el día, el mapa, el problema, el idioma, el sofá are masculine, and la mano, la foto, la moto are feminine.
How do I make a Spanish noun plural?
Add -s after a vowel (casa - casas) and -es after a consonant (hotel - hoteles). A final -z becomes -ces (lápiz - lápices), and some written accents change (canción - canciones, joven - jóvenes).
Does the adjective go before or after the noun?
Adjectives of colour, size and quality normally go after it: la casa blanca, los zapatos negros. An adjective before the noun belongs to special cases that come later.
Which adjectives change for masculine and feminine?
Those ending in -o: blanco, blanca. Adjectives in -e or a consonant (verde, grande, azul, fácil, feliz) have the same form for both genders and only add -s or -es in the plural. Nationalities in a consonant add -a: español, española.
What is the plural of a group of men and women?
Use the masculine plural: los padres, los hermanos, los chicos. Only a group made up entirely of females takes the feminine: las madres, las chicas.