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Rules for Feminine or Masculine Nouns
A Good Rule of Thumb:
One rule of Spanish: if a word ends in 'o' it is masculine. Additionally, if it ends in 'a', it is feminine. Well, while this is a good rule of thumb, don't always trust it. We'll list some examples below. But, first, let's discuss some other 'rules of thumbs'.
Some nouns in Spanish do not end in an 'a' or an 'o'. That can be confusing because we may not know which article (a 'la' or an 'el') to put with a word. However, there are some easily memorized patterns that we can use to help us decide.
The L-O-N-E-R-S rule:
While we can call this a 'rule' it is not. It is a 'rule of thumb', meaning that it doesn't hold true in all circumstances. It only holds true for a majority of the time.
If a word ends in an L, O, N, E, R, or S, then most likely it will be a masculine noun. You will attach an 'EL' to the word to recognize its gender. And, let it be noted that in Spanish, articles are used much more often in everyday, regular speech.
If a word ends in 'd', 'z', 'a', 'dad', or 'ion', it is most likely a feminine noun. These will require the Spanish word "LA" to be used.
Explanation of Gender Rules #1 for Spanish
Quiz of Gender Rules #1
Explanation of Gender Rules #2 for Spanish
Quiz of Gender Rules #2
A few exceptions to the gender rule that I want you to know:
el clima
el cometa = comet
la cometa = kite
el día
el drama
la foto (short for la fotografía)
el idioma = language
la mano = hand
el mapa = map
el papa = the pope
la papa = potato
el poema = poem
el planeta
el problema
el programa
el sistema
el tema (theme, subject)
DEFINITE ARTICLES---Indicates a SPECIFIC NOUN: (THE)
EL/LA = "the" in English and are used when the object/noun is SINGULAR.
If the noun is PLURAL these will CHANGE to either LOS or LAS.
EXAMPLE:
el papel= the paper BUT LOS PAPELES = the paperS.
el carro = the car BUT LOS CARROS = the carS
la camisa = the shirt BUT LAS CAMISAS = the shirtS
***Note that PLURAL nouns end in S just like in ENGLISH!!! THe one difference is that IF the noun ENDS in a VOWEL, you just add an 'S'. If it ends in a consonant (all letters but vowels) you add 'ES'
INDEFINITE ARTICLES---refers to an unspecified person or thing: (A/AN, SOME)
UN/UNA = a/an in English and are used when the nouns is SINGULAR. If the noun is PLURAL these will CHANGE to either UNOS or UNAS.
EXAMPLE:
un papel= a paper BUT UNOS PAPELES = some paperS.
un carro = a car BUT UNOS CARROS = some carS
una camisa = a shirt BUT UNAS CAMISAS = some shirtS
DEFINITE AND INDEFINITE ARTICLES EXPLAINED
DEFINITE AND INDEFINITE ARTICLES QUIZ #1
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