In Spanish, all nouns are either masculine or feminine. Well start with the most obvious, which is that most words that end in o are going to be masculine. If the noun is masculine and singular, use the masculine, singular ending (usually - o ). We do this in order to avoid a cacophony, a mixture of unpleasant sounds to our ears. el day is masculine and is the ONLY exception. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. When you are starting out in Spanish knowing the gender of nouns is very difficult. (2020,May 08 ). For English speakers, it is hard to determine when a noun is feminine or masculine simply because nouns in English have no gender. Los dentistas estn muy jvenes. One warning, though: the S in LONERS refers to nouns that are singular, like el mes. Tu voz es muy chillona. Two examples are doctora (female doctor) and camisa (shirt). Many people learning Spanish assume that these are neutral nouns. Why is a car masculine but a house feminine? Words ending in -ismo are simply the Spanish counterparts to the English isms because they share the same Latin root. After all, how can you know if problema and mano are feminine or masculine? It is basically just a sign of respect. Time to dive into a topic that combines grammar and etiquette. We know, we know, the exceptions are very frustrating. Follow this link if you want to know WHY nouns have a gender in Spanish. Tu vecina es muy ruidosa. Some examples are hijo (son), zapato (shoe) and mono (monkey). If you are starting to learn Spanish, we only introduce the concept of gender differences a couple of sessions in. Most Spanish adjectives must agree in gender and number with the accompanying noun. We can include el/la cineasta within this group. The wall is newly painted. However, the word persona is always a feminine word. The Verb To Need: Sometimes you Really Need it. I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. vacation Noun 1. * These words are shortened from words that do end in A: discoteca, fotografa, motocicleta, pornografa, and radiodifusin. (in summer) a. veranear Copyright 2006 Harrap Publishers Limited vacation noun 1 especially (Britain) (Jur) receso (m) vacacional (formal); periodo (m) vacacional Here are the exceptions to this rule. Not bad, huh? These adjectives are derived from the name of that place. Some animals, particularly those you dont come in contact with every day, tend to have one accepted Spanish grammatical gender. El diseo de mi prima no est terminado. The two most basic rules about gender are based on the last letter of the noun: A word that ends in -o is masculine, and a word that ends in -a is feminine. Normalmente, voy de vacaciones en diciembre. You will need to memorize rule-breaking words like la mano (hand) and el d'ia (day). Common exceptions: not feminine, masculine El mapa- the map- masculine El da- the day- masculine. Men wish that they had been warriors, or are proud that they once were. I feel like its a lifeline. Again, there is no real reason. Las aguas azucaradas son malas para la salud. Sus zapatos son muy caros. Feminine: (a, cin, dad) La chica- the girl. Theres a cold front in the city. Uruguay es muy bonito. Which brings us to the only exception to these rules! Feminine and masculine nouns ending in -E. Nouns ending in -e can be masculine and feminine. Most Spanish nouns ending in -o are masculine, and most ending in -a are feminine, but there are exceptions. This is a little more complicated but my recommendation is to learn the more common words in a first moment. The general rule states that all Spanish nouns are masculine or feminine. When describing a masculine noun like "Amigo", we must use a masculine adjective as well, such as "Honesto". Therefore, its correct to say: Tengo cien pesos. They actually come from Ancient Greek and they are all masculine: el dilema, el emblema, el teorema, el fonema, el lexema. Browse Spanish translations from Spain, Mexico, or any other Spanish-speaking country. -A, -in, -dad, -tad and -tud are all endings for feminine words. The following Spanish nouns all denote living creatures. Words ending in -ed (if the stress falls on this syllable). And it sounds quite logical if nouns refer to living creatures: Masculine: El hombre (The man) Feminine: La mujer (The woman) Masculine: Un caballo (A horse) Feminine: Una yegua (A mare) But what about nouns that stand for non-living things? La disco is short for la discoteca, andla foto is short forla fotografa. You can use the word that best fits a noun to determine if it's masculine or feminine. Check these examples of sentences with colors in Spanish: El rosa es mi color preferido. 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. Now lets check out the tricks for masculine nouns in Spanish. This allows us to ease the pronunciation! You may have come across this strange exception before where the masculine article el is used for a feminine word. Control of polling in presence of vacations in heavy traffic with applications to satellite and mobile radio systems. This means that every word for a person, place, thing or idea is either masculine or feminine. We say EL agua frA (The cold water). The use of the masculine gender includes the feminine and is used only to facilitate the reading. When My Masculine Met My Feminine | Tijana Tamburic | TEDxBucharest Possible excuses include hospitalization. I hope you find what youre looking here during your journey into Espaol Read More About Me, Venir Conjugation 101: Conjugate Venir In Spanish. We only say "el agua" only because it's smoother to pronounce than "la aqua." Period. Nuestros perros son pequeos. vacation translate: vacances [feminine, plural], vacances [feminine, plural], passer ses vacances, vacances, passer des. 08, 2020, https://lingualinkup.com/el-la-spanish/, Masculine and Feminine in Spanish (el & la): The Rules & Their Many Exceptions. As a result, depending on the noun, a number can be either feminine or masculine. We would say El mdicO, La mdicO. The user may also prefer cheaper vacations and may have desiderata or wishes such as visiting an attraction park in each stop. Sofia is very smart. Dictionaries always indicate the grammatical gender of a noun! Fluenz Fluenz Blog Learn Spanish Basic Spanish El or La? That said, we need to get something out of the way before diving into the rules for gender in Spanish. 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]. My parents spent the Easter holidays in Argentina. El ftbol es muy aburrido. "Masculine and Feminine in Spanish (el & la): The Rules & Their Many Exceptions." Two other endings for feminine nouns are -dad / -tad, like in felicidad (happiness) and amistad (friendship). Sugared water is bad for your health. In fact, a few masculine words also end with this vowel. Qu bonito est tu labial! The adjective for Italia is italiano. [Determiner] + [noun] + [verb conjugated] + [adjective]. 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. For these types of cases, there are certain guidelines that can give you a better idea of how Spanish gender is formed. You cant apply it to plural nouns or that would mean that every word would be masculine. Add vacation to one of your lists below, or create a new one. 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. Me gusta el vestido rosa. Los delfines son adorables. Ese rbol es muy viejo. Retrieved from https://lingualinkup.com/el-la-spanish/. A lot of them are identical or almost identical to words you already know in English! Remember that nouns that end with z do not follow a default gender guideline. Unfortunately, there are not as many rules to know whether a noun in Spanish is masculine. Feminine nouns that end in -o * These words are shortened from words that do end in A: discoteca, fotografa, motocicleta, pornografa, and radiodifusin. His shoes are very expensive. If you have studied Spanish, you are painfully aware of this. Little by little, and loads of practice is the best remedy. Idioms with the word back, Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2023. This t-shirt is black. Spanish Language Dictations Level Beginner #001. A noun is a word used to denominate a person, thing, place or concept. Mi gatita est enferma. Memorizing just the exceptions will be a lot easier than memorizing every single word in the Spanish language. This free website is created with love and a great deal of work. All rights reserved. El patn elctrico es muy prctico. And it gets easier with time and practice. https://lingualinkup.com/el-la-spanish/ (accessed var d = (new Date()).toString().split(' ').splice(1,3).join(' '); 3. Key Takeaways: Spanish Noun Gender Nouns ending in -a, -cin, -a, or -dad are usually feminine. In any case, if a word has any of the following endings you can be absolutely sure that it is masculine. If you have the word for friend, it refers to a person correct? Take Note: Do not get mixed up! However, the gender in Spanish language can be really tricky sometimes. Make sure you pay attention to the exceptions column. Therefore, vestido (dress) is actually a masculine noun. Todava me quedan das de vacaciones antes de que termine el ao. I hope this helps. When they refer to professions, words ending with -ista have the same form for masculine and feminine: el/la dentista, el/la artista, el/la periodista, el/la pianista. La torre - the tower. Not only in Spanish, but also in other Romance and non-Romance languages, such as German and Russian. Here's what's included: Get conjugations, examples, and pronunciations for millions of words and phrases in Spanish and English. Lingua Linkup. With these rules below, youll know which to use with every word el or la. 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. All rights reserved. Spanish speakers always like to have vacations in plural. I want a coffee, please. 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. Descubr lo que tu empresa podra llegar a alcanzar. A few of the most common ones are: Any words that are actually a shorter form of a longer word. Learn and practice Spanish * Daily practice * Find your level (proficiency test) * Spanish for beginners * Travel Spanish, A1 | A2 | B1 | B2 | C1 Find your level. In some cases, you will be able to tell the gender of a word based on the ending of the word itself. Esta camisa es negra. But, sometimes a word is a shorter forms of a longer word, like moto or radio. There are some questions well never really know the answer to. Or el agua in singular, while las aguas in plural. I want a more intense red. Recuerdas aquella vez que estuvimos de vacaciones en Vermont? Our dogs are small. These short words keep the gender of the longer word, even if they have -ma, -pa, -ta, or LONERS at the end. That tree is very old. So, if you put a . Grammatical gender is a property of Spanish nouns. Even though these endings can generally help you with the gender of a noun, there are some words that do not follow these rules. El frica El Agua- Las Agua (plural) the waters The endings are not so obvious. We only do this when those words start with a stressed a sound. 2. Ests muy estresado; necesitas irte de vacaciones. For example, to say, 'My brother is an interesting person' in Spanish, you would say Mi hermano es una persona interesante. Most adjectives in Spanish can be either feminine or masculine depending on the genre of the accompanying noun. el clima (the weather) 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. From students and tourists to doctors and soldiers whove moved and visited here over the years. man, dog, house). Here it might help to connect it with a feminine word that is opposite, so you can remember the words in pairs. They wish that they were in love now. Not knowing if a word is feminine or masculine in Spanish can lead to poor communication and, in some cases, misunderstandings. las vacaciones and la estaci'on. This restaurant is pretty famous. The word in the example sentence does not match the entry word. For those interested in a little history, masculine Spanish nouns that end in-ta,-pa and-ma tend to come from Greek originally. Passive Voice in Spanish: Examples & Practice, Psychological Research & Experimental Design, All Teacher Certification Test Prep Courses, What are Cognates in Spanish? Therefore, "red" is "rojo" but it becomes "roja" with a. With these rules below, you'll know which to use with every word "el" or "la". Fish are very pretty. I've still got some vacation time left before the end of the year. Im going to list them one by one, and also I will teach you what the exceptions are if there are any. In Spanish, all nouns have a gender. In . Reading comprehension. Singapur es muy caro. 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). Janet Long has taught post-secondary Spanish and English for over 15 years. 'pa pdd chac-sb tc-bd bw hbr-20 hbss lpt-25' : 'hdn'">. An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g. Sometimes the word just breaks the rules, and we have to memorize that they are different, such as la mano (hand). So how come it's "el problema" and not "la problema" since "el" should always modify a masculine noun and "la" a feminine noun. Objectos de clase (masculine - feminine ) Group sort. Next year I am going to vacation in Europe. But since doctor refers to a person and an occupation, its the gender of the doctor that will determine the article and ending. Tu casa es grande y bonita. Is vacation in Spanish masculine or feminine? up when learning new vocab because they had learned this rule of thumb. Hay cien sillas disponibles. Also see my lesson on the stressed A, which causes feminine nouns to take the masculine article. Masculine and Feminine in Spanish (el & la): The Rules & Their Many Exceptions. . Every single noun in Spanish has a gender: feminine or masculine. You know that people and animals are masculine or feminine, but did you know that nouns in Spanish have gender? Soy Daniela Sanchez, Ive taught Spanish in Mexico to a wide array of foreigners. In English, you use a form of the verb 'to be' (am, is, are, was, were, etc.) As you can see, below that chart, you'll then see the "el" & "la . 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. The idea here is that words that end in any of the letters L-O-N-E-R-S tend to be masculine. -Tud, like in the word actitud (attitude) is also a common ending for feminine nouns. However, the gender in Spanish language can be really tricky sometimes. The idea that nouns have gender seems perfectly natural when the noun stands for a living creature. 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! link to Venir Conjugation 101: Conjugate Venir In Spanish, link to Probar Conjugation 101: Conjugate Probar in Spanish. Names of rivers, lakes, and oceans are usually masculine; names of mountains are usually feminine. Below youll find a list of words and be able to find out for yourself if it is masculine (el) or feminine (la). Most masculine nouns end in -o, like hermano, meaning 'brother' and most feminine nouns end in -a, like hermana, meaning 'sister'. I desperately need a vacation! All of these rules use the ending of a word as a trick to determine its gender. For example: Subscribe for free weekly updates from this Spanish Language site. La cancin es muy larga. As you can probably tell, all words that end in -ista denote occupations or stances and such, just like the endings -ist and -yst in English: therapist, marxist, etc. Required fields are marked *. This name is also derived from the Hebrew name Yitzhak which means ' one who rejoices.'. Lingua Linkup, May. Search millions of Spanish-English example sentences from our dictionary, TV shows, and the internet. "Favourite" is "favorito" in Spanish. Otherwise, it would sound like laaagua. NOTE: The masculine gender has been used for brevity and includes the feminine gender. Its the same for words ending with -a: el/la espa, el/la polica, el/la gua. Copyright 2006 Harrap Publishers Limited. Your voice is so high-pitched. Dont worry! How do numbers and gender affect adjectives in Spanish? Encarga doscientas galletas.Order two hundred cookies. As youll see in a moment, most words that end in -a are feminine, but there are exceptions. 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). And its true that theres no logical way to divide the world into masculine and feminine. Esos cantantes son espaoles. Miami Beach, FL 33139, 1000 5th St, suite 200 And to make things more interesting, the fact is that with time, languages evolve and change. The grammatical gender is an arbitrary classification that divides nouns into two types: masculines or feminines. El nino y el gato. Probar is an O to UE stem-changing verb. The food was delicious. The kids play in the park. One of the biggest exceptions to the LONERS rule we talked about for masculine nouns above is-in. You will get new updates by email, as well as a copy of my ebook, the Definitive Guide to Learn Conjugations in Spanish. These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Copyright (c) Minerva Webworks LLC All Rights Reserved. In those cases, if we want to specify the sex, we need to add macho (male) or hembra (female): Finally, a word can change its meaning according to its ending. As explained before, a big portion of masculine words in Spanish end with an -o.