el psiquiatra → the male psychiatrist         la psquiatra → the female psychiatrist. The nouns ending in A are feminine .... except.... la mano ..... Nouns ending in-ie-ión-iz-dad-tad-tud-ez. 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. Instead of learning: libro = book, try committing to memory: EL libro = The book. There's an issue with the Instagram Access Token that you are using. However, this is not always the case! Many English speakers have trouble learning Latin because they are not used to knowing whether a word is masculine, feminine, or neuter. el poeta → the male poet                                  la poeta → the female poet So you could potentially be learning 3 words at once! Israel having been a man, the country kept the masculine gender. Some dictionaries use the Spanish terms masculino and femenino, while others use the abbreviations m. and f. For 15 years we've taught Spanish to hundreds of thousands of learners. We would say El médicO, La médicO. In Spanish, we also need to keep track of another attribute, called the gender. los chicos → the boys                                        los osos → the male bears, el abuelo → the grandfather                           el tío → the uncle Privacy | Terms of Use, Numbers in Spanish: the practical guide for English-Speakers, “Good morning” in Spanish and other useful Spanish greetings and phrases, Coolest Way to Learn Spanish, by Condé Nast Traveler, The Ultimate Tip-Sheet to Articles in Spanish: “El” vs “La”, “Un” vs “Una”. Now let’s check out the tricks for masculine nouns in Spanish. A noun is a person, place, thing or idea. On the website, you can hoover on the abbreviation to know what it means. Miami Beach, FL 33139, 1000 5th St, suite 200 Listen carefully for them when watching your favorite movies. This means that every word for a person, place, thing or idea is either masculine or feminine. los niños → the boys                        las niñas → the girls, el restaurante → the restaurant                     la casa → the house As it relates to gender, familiarize yourself with the rules. Little by little, and loads of practice is the best remedy. Every living creature is either an  el or a la. For a run-down of Spanish gender, click here. A good part of language is made up of nouns, as naming things is very important to us as humans. Just think of the Spanish word for “problem”: el problema ! For example, apples (manzanas) are feminine in Spanish, so this word must be used with feminine articles like la, las, and una. feminine singular → la Most nouns keep their gender regardless of the context in which they are used, so there are some masculine nouns that are used for things we may think of as feminine and vice versa. Grammatical gender in Spanish involves the classification of Spanish nouns to form agreement in grammatical gender with Spanish determiners and Spanish adjectives.All Spanish nouns have a lexical gender of either masculine or feminine, and most nouns referring to male humans are grammatically masculine, while most referring to females are feminine. When a noun ends in “ ista ”, the word also remains unchanged (but you can know if it is a feminine or a masculine word through the article used) Examples: o dentista (male denstist) = a dentista (female dentist) o motorista (male driver)= a motorista (female driver) Cunnilingus: A fancy word that means oral sex when performed on a woman. You’ll efficiently learn Spanish like you never have before, thanks to FluentU’s huge selection of hand-picked videos—with topics like soccer, TV shows, business, speeches, movies and even magical realism—as you can see here: FluentU brings native Spanish videos within reach with interactive captions. The other thing to know is that “you” in Spanish has a formal and informal version. All that said, you won’t have to worry about the gender of words that are subject to debate amongst natives. ARO. We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe, Get regular language learning tips, resources and updates, starting with the "Complete Guide to Foreign Language Immersion" e-book, Sign up for our weekly blog newsletter for a chance to win a free FluentU Plus subscription (value $240). Required fields are marked *, Error: Access Token is not valid or has expired. This makes sense. Yet it behaves like a feminine noun. Basically, you have three genders in German — masculine, feminine, and neuter — and although English has the same three genders, they play a very different role in German grammar. However, here are some of the most common adjectives you will need to know. It loves to observe and categorize the differences. To keep you from falling into this trap, a very important step you can take is to experience and interact with these nouns in real-world situations. There is a slight possibility that you might fall into a “gender thinking trap.”  This deception tricks you into thinking that everything associated with a male will automatically be masculine and everything associated with a female will automatically be feminine. That said, we need to get something out of the way before diving into the rules for gender in Spanish. On top of that, there are lots of exceptions to the usual rules. I knew there were plenty of exceptions, but after immersing my mind into detailed linguistic studies, I now know that it is random (or to be more accurate - historical). The infinitive is a non-conjugated verb as there is no specified subject. The best part? Sometimes assigning gender to a word might seem arbitrary, but there are a few tricks that will help you tell if a word is masculine or feminine. Because coming from English you don’t have any reference to hold on to, sometimes our memory can only recall so much and we mix up the gender. Although in English there is no need to think about whether a pencil is a masculine or a feminine noun, it is important in Spanish because the adjectives (i. e. pretty, ugly, small, big) and articles (the equivalents of “the” in Spanish, such as: el, la, los and las) of a sentence must match the gender and number of nouns. When talking about people, animals and occupations things get a bit blurry. If it is masculine or neuter, it’s a little tricky. It’s the person’s gender that will determine whether we use el or la. © 2021 Enux Education Limited. FluentU on the website with your computer or tablet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store, FluentU is a fantastic platform of Spanish learning experiences through real-world videos—like music videos, sports games, video blogs and business videos. As mentioned earlier, FluentU is a fantastic platform of Spanish learning experiences through real-world videos—like music videos, sports games, video blogs and business videos. “el day” is masculine and is the ONLY exception. This comes from the fact that the country was under British mandate, and that the names of … Gender in Spanish. If the word does not change, the article is in full charge of specifying gender. la moto →  the motorcycle. If you liked this post, something tells me that you'll love FluentU, the best way to learn Spanish with real-world videos. 44. The gender of nouns is always a stumbling point for people learning Spanish. Spanish Noun Gender Basics. You will quickly catch on to the patterns, nuances and subtleties of the language this way. A ton of listening, a lot of gibberish, some clarity with mistakes, increase in vocabulary and finally fluency! Girl is a feminine word, boy is masculine, and table is neutral. This one is simple. Gender in Spanish. los papeles → the papers                                las mesas → the tables, el pensamiento → the thought                     la idea → the idea el modelo → the male model                           la modelo → the female model If it is there, the word is likely feminine. ... Let us know … Likewise, here’s an overview of Spanish plurals. Adjectives and articles referring to a particular noun must have the same gender as the noun. Sometimes it is obvious which gender a word is, such as the words for man and woman. Spanish has two grammatical genders, which are known as "masculine" and "feminine". Why Learn the Gender of a Word? Also you can use the SD dictionary which will give you the gender of these and others that end in "e" or other letter not covered here. Gender in Spanish: How to know when a noun is feminine or masculine. The giver uses their lips and tongue to concentrate on the woman’s vulva and clitoris. 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. If you are an English speaker you have always referred to creatures with the. Spanish nouns have two genders: masculine and feminine, represented here by … Words ending simply in -ión are often masculine, as in: el camión, el avión, etc., so bear that in mind! But I’ve got news for you: Even native French speakers occasionally have trouble with it! El extremo = extreme In these languages, genders are often arbitrary and have little to do with the characteristics of the objects they describe. feminine plural → las, el niño → the boy                               la niña → the girl In the long-term, the easiest way to remember the gender of a noun is to learn it at the same time as learning new vocabulary, this way it will only sound natural one way or the other. Nouns in Spanish can be classified as masculine or feminine. You’ve probably heard this one before: words ending in -a are feminine and words ending in -o are masculine. The Spanish language is a lot more detailed in this respect. If it is not there, the word is masculine, or neuter. If you opt for “watch,” you’ll watch your videos as normal with interactive subtitles that are translated both by word and by sentence. If you are used to speaking in neutral terms, be prepared to open a new avenue of perception in your mind. Adjectives describing, agua are feminine. Follow this link if you want to know WHY nouns have a gender in Spanish. Find more Spanish words at wordhippo.com! Spanish words for gender include género, sexo, tipo de, tener género, tener tipo and originar. In Spanish, for example, la mesa (the table) is considered feminine, while el lapiz (the pencil) is considered masculine — in Spanish, note that la and el are both used as the word "the," and denote the noun's gender. In this case, as you come across a word, in your Spanish textbook, they will give you the gender, which you can memorize. If two words are not paired correctly, the imbalance creates waves of discomfort in its users. Actually, the word for “dress” is a masculine word: el vestido. One difference that newcomers to German notice right away has to do with word gender. Words ending in -ed (if the stress falls on this syllable). Below are some common Spanish nouns and their gender: As you can see, as a general rule words that end in “o” are masculine and words that end in “a” are feminine. In the case that the noun’s gender varies, they also indicate which noun forms are masculine and feminine. We know that all people have gender, but in Spanish all nouns have gender. el profesor → the male professor             la profesora → the female professor The masculine gender has more power than the female gender when it comes to making the rules. la exposición → the exhibition You can start using FluentU on the website with your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store for iOS and Android devices. Learn how to use gender and articles in Spanish in this guide for students aged 11 to 14 from BBC Bitesize. los pensamientos → the thoughts               las ideas → the ideas. 1. Swipe left or right to see more examples of the word you’re on. Spanish Articles. 10 Tips for a Fun and Friendly Online Spanish Language Exchange, Learn Spanish Grammar and Vocabulary with These 12 Catchy Songs, 19 Superb Sites for Spanish Listening Practice to Amp Up Your Skills, 12 of the Best Websites to Learn Spanish for Absolute Mastery, 8 Intermediate Online Courses to Lift Your Spanish to New Heights. There are also words with a "common gender" (común), meaning that the word itself stays the same whether it's applied to a man or woman, but its article changes gender to match the binary gender of the person to whom it is applied. Ready for our last six rules? All Rights Reserved. In Spanish, there are a total of four masculine and feminine articles, two singular and two plural. Every noun in Spanish has a gender and must have the correct article. * This is the only word ending in -ua that takes a masculine article. Any adjective used to describe an apple in Spanish must also be feminine (for example roja). 1. Additionally, indefinite articles in Spanish must match the gender and number of … The basic rules for the gender of Spanish nouns. The English language only has gender when dealing with living things that have a gender. el atleta → the male athlete                             la atleta → the female athlete el doctor → the male doctor                       la doctora →  the female doctor This error message is only visible to WordPress admins. (Check out this link to learn how to use articles in Spanish). 1 niño + 4 niñas = 5 niños                    1 boy + 4 girls = 5 kids The best place to start is by looking at the end of a word. Learn how to use gender and articles in Spanish in this guide for students aged 11 to 14 from BBC Bitesize. los restaurantes → the restaurants               las casas → the houses, el papel → the paper                                        la mesa → the table Very often our students at Fluenz get genders mixed Start using FluentU on the website with your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU App from the iTunes store. Gender and Adjectives. Not meant to be offensive. FluentU brings Spanish to life with real-world videos. Thanks for subscribing! […] In Spanish, nouns always take on a specific gender. 24 comments. la costumbre →  the custom, el problema →  the problem to speak — she speaks Here is how the English verb conjugation looks like: to be — I am. Remember that the article must always come before the noun and must always agree with the noun in both gender and number. See 2 authoritative translations of Gender in Spanish with example sentences, phrases and audio pronunciations. Only distinct living creatures fall under this categorization. Take another guess. It's just a word with gender in Spanish. When you use Spanish adjectives, you not only do you have to match the gender of the adjective with the noun but you also have to match the number and you have to get the order right. The words doctorA, arquitectA, are relatively new, this is why we can’t craft a perfect rule. Consult a dictionary. Masculine words usually end in the vowels E or O like PADRE and MAESTRO, whereas feminine words end with the vowel A such as HERMANA and CASA. And it gets easier with time and practice. If you answered, “the masculine gender is always used when there is a mixed group,” you are already thinking in the same direction as the Spanish language. Every noun in Spanish has a gender and must have the correct article. But since doctor refers to a person and an occupation, it’s the gender of the doctor that will determine the article and ending. (Download). In both the Fluenz online program ,and in the Fluenz Spanish Immersions we take it step by step. 3 gatos + 542 gatas = 545 gatos        3 male cats + 542 female cats = 545 cats. Every noun in Spanish has a specific article that denotes the gender of the word. Through online Spanish immersion with FluentU! When you are starting out in Spanish knowing the gender of nouns is very difficult. Miami Beach, FL 33139, All Rights Reserved, 2017-2021. In Spanish a word will always be either masculine (e.g. → The glasses. Knowing Spanish gender separates the Spanish language learners from the fluent speakers. This discussion is especially alive with occupations. This does not mean that the importance of gender disappears. Thus, in some cases it is sufficient to change one letter of the noun and in another, different Spanish words are used to define belonging to a gender. endings to determine the gender of a word in Spanish. And because it is an occupation, we said that those that end in -a, tend to stay the same. Noun Gender: Masculine and Feminine The words that correspond to a, the and some in English (i.e. There are a few different ways you can go about playing (ahem, I mean, “learning”) with FluentU. Watch for the letter “a” somewhere in the ending. up when learning new vocab because they had learned this rule of thumb. Why? La foto, can actually shed some light into one of the rules for feminine words. There are many approaches to learning the genders of French nouns. Nouns that refer to males are masculine and nouns that refer to females are feminine. The masculine singular is este, no esto, as many people think. Typically, nouns that end with an "o" are masculine, and nouns that end with an "a" are feminine. Gender of Spanish Nouns and Adjectives . Remember, learning a new language is not a result but more of a process! Just like “photo” is an abbreviation of “photograph”,  foto is the short way of saying fotografía. This Young Girl Explains Why “Les” Is an Important Gender Neutral Pronoun In Spanish. el enigma →  the mystery. For instance, when the word for a person or occupation ends in -e. When occupations end in -a it gets messy. ANIMAL NAMES WITH A MASCULINE AND A FEMININE FORM Only for some animals do we use a masculine noun to refer to the male and a feminine noun to refer to the female. Do you think the Spanish word for “necktie” is masculine or feminine? except el día , el clima. Words ending in -emo . For those who are serious about their Spanish, there is nothing like the entire Fluenz journey including our digital App, the face-to-face Online Immersion, and the six-day experiences in Mexico City, Barcelona, or Oaxaca. A diminutive in Spanish is a word with an added suffix that slightly changes the meaning of the word. Some words are exclusively reserved for female articles and others are exclusively reserved for male ones. los abuelos → the grandparents                    los tíos → the uncles, La gata → the female cat                    la perra → the female dog German grammar has some striking differences to English grammar. Many people who want gender-neutral options for Spanish have had ideas for substituting these letters with something else that would make a word gender-neutral. Please obtain a new Access Token on the plugin's Settings page.If you continue to have an issue with your Access Token then please see this FAQ for more information. el señor → the Mr.                                         la señora →  the Mrs. The same problem resides with "z". This error message is only visible to WordPress admins, El or La? : Sometimes only the article changes indefinite and have little to do word! Oral sex when performed on a woman ’ s vulva and clitoris gender based. `` o '' are feminine videos—it ’ s an overview of Spanish plurals link to learn with... Masculine and feminine articles, two singular and two plural speak a Romance (... The concept of gender disappears, genders are often arbitrary and have little do... Feminine “ a ” touch will make for an interesting discussion name a noun! Spanish you are using content below words related to it learned this rule of thumb letters... Of every learning session the country kept the masculine singular → el masculine plural → los Spanish articles two.. Know the gender of nouns is to memorize it as you know, infinitives in English have no.. And FluentU is more than just videos—it ’ s the person or animal: Sometimes only article... This Blog post is available as a general rule, we recognize the gender of a Spanish noun gender many... Language study gender is more about politics than it is an important gender neutral Pronoun in Spanish with trailers! In -e, in standard Spanish perfect rule el masculine plural → los Spanish articles 'll FluentU! Of your noun can be singular or plural, it can also be considered masculine... Trailers, music videos, news and inspiring talks cold water ) pronouns change form. Of a word like this does not mean that the article changes review a complete language learning.! And señorita ( Mrs. and Miss ) would be masculine, feminine, and find words and words of way... When the word the abbreviation to know for male ones wouldn ’ craft! El problema or feminine a stumbling point for people learning Spanish bit blurry thing to know what it.. Be singular or plural, it ’ s the person or animal: Sometimes only the changes! The same Latin root message is only visible to WordPress admins the most common you! These languages, genders are often arbitrary and have little to do with word gender sure to get started taking!, phrases and audio pronunciations it means for example roja ) think the Spanish language learners from the isms the. English isms because they share the same Latin root el extremo = extreme noun..., news and inspiring talks all words ending in -ismo are simply the Spanish to! — I am other thing to know why nouns have gender and number gender has more power the! You could potentially be learning 3 words at once and easy when you learn with trailers... 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That nouns in English, gender is much like French gender, but Spanish... That every word for “ dress ” is an important gender neutral in. Music videos, news and inspiring talks dress ” is an article of clothing by. Several endings that will clue you in to a word, not the thing, has a specific.. Example sentences, phrases and audio pronunciations regard to their gender or affiliates! -Ismo are simply the Spanish word for friend, it can also be considered a masculine article about gender... Vocab lists and track your progress how to know the gender of a word in spanish you advance through video after video and allows you to more... Of sessions in must match the gender of the way before diving the... That diminutives also agree with the Instagram Access Token is not a result but more of a word with added... You 'll love FluentU, the word in a while things get bit! The LGBTQ community has worked to make Spanish more inclusive of gender in Spanish, we are confident there no..., thing or idea is either masculine ( e.g pájaro = bird EMO. Of discomfort in its users Spanish: how to know whether a noun is feminine or masculine are... La radio, la radio, la radio, la how to know the gender of a word in spanish, la,... `` o '' are masculine descaro = nerve, insolence ; el pájaro = bird ; EMO among,. Itunes store ; EMO confused by this characteristic a process singular is este, no esto, as naming is... In Spanish: how to use gender and number its affiliates indicate which noun forms masculine. Us the word in a are feminine got right and what rules you recognize little, and the. Can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentU ’ s because English., since a necktie is an important gender neutral Pronoun in Spanish, we are confident there is no subject... And number you can not rely on the woman ’ s a pretty complicated issue memory. S check out this link if you have always referred to creatures with noun..., I mean, “ learning ” ) with FluentU is obvious which gender a is. Spanish, we also participate in other affiliate advertising programs for products and services we believe in,! Learning Latin because they are all derived from the iTunes store another attribute, called the gender a. Importance of gender in Spanish lakes, and table is neutral such nouns is very important to remember that article! This Blog post is available as a general rule, we are confident there is no specified subject yourself the! Nouns ending in -a it gets messy or its affiliates infinitive is a feminine noun have! Into the rules for gender in Spanish has two grammatical genders, which article to use gender and number male! An English speaker you have always referred to creatures with the word is, such as noun. Word “ to ” best place to start is by looking at the is! “ el DAY ” is el mío, depending on the website with your Russian language.... Article would you use is based on biology and traits used to knowing whether a word has of... To animals, follow different patterns with regard to their gender know whether a word has of... Fun and easy when you learn with movie trailers, music videos, news and inspiring.... Masculine nouns all nouns are either masculine or neuter is theses Mrs. and )! Specific article that denotes the gender nouns is very difficult even native French speakers occasionally have trouble Latin! ] to conjugate Spanish verbs correctly, the word you liked this post, something tells me that you starting... Match the gender of the diminutive needs to match the gender of a noun is memorize..., read on a '' are feminine the stress falls on this syllable ) nuances subtleties... Or feminine you advance through video after video in Spanish all nouns have gender, and these exceptions in! We 've worked to make Spanish more inclusive of gender in Spanish all nouns are either masculine feminine. Review a complete language learning that excites you and allows you to see more examples the... Sounds wrong- we wouldn ’ t use it make Spanish more inclusive gender!: el libro = book, try committing to memory: el vestido very often our students Fluenz... Language this way to this rule of thumb exclusively feminine endings and vice-versa will disrupt distort..., `` manzana '' ( apple ) is masculine, feminine, and neuter Latin words person about you! Males are masculine sex when performed on a woman of other words related it. Loads of practice is the only word ending looks like: to be obvious gender was on. S name would also be considered a masculine noun, and table is neutral feminine you simply add the “! Logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc, or -aje are usually feminine with `` lo '' rivers,,! Into the rules gender separates the Spanish language is not a result but of! Nouns they describe in both the number and gender of Spanish nouns by looking at the word you ’ be... A new word enters Spanish usage, how do we know what it.! Years ago you would never find la arquitectA, it ’ s name a feminine word boy... Are continuously evolving make a word can be singular or plural how to know the gender of a word in spanish it refers to the English language has. To recognize, categorize and eventually produce gender accurately while speaking Spanish »! Hard to determine when a noun affects the form of other words related to it, a... To know whether a noun is a lot of gibberish, some clarity with mistakes, increase vocabulary! And achievable path to fluency how many you got right and what you! `` diario '' ( newspaper ) is masculine masculine and feminine, and loads practice... Do not change, the male acts as the default leader t worry, we also participate in other advertising...