Just like with nouns, Spanish masculine adjectives usually end in the vowel -O like "Bonito" and "Creativo", e.g. As a result, here are some frequently asked questions that most of my students usually have. Lucia has very nice qualities. This name is also derived from the Hebrew name Yitzhak which means ' one who rejoices.'. Here are some of the letters that we usually see at the end of masculine words. Memorizing just the exceptions will be a lot easier than memorizing every single word in the Spanish language. Although words that end in -a are usually feminine, we already know that the words with -ma at the end of them are masculine. The dish is white with blue stripes. We can include el/la cineasta within this group. 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. Some examples include: These rules can help you most of the time to determine if the noun is masculine, but they won't always work. Lingua Linkup, May. If the noun is masculine and singular, use the masculine, singular ending (usually - o ). Although its not really incorrect to use the feminine form, its less common. We use the masculine definite article (el) in singular with feminine nouns that start with an A when the stress is put on the first syllable. I know we said we would only be giving you rules that didnt have any exceptions, the rules above are full proof- its when you get to people and occupations where you need to put your thinking cap on. Spanish Language Dictations Level Beginner #001. But, sometimes a word is a shorter forms of a longer word, like moto or radio. We covered o above because it really requires its own section, but this is a good general rule of thumb. Lesson outline 1. However, the gender in Spanish language can be really tricky sometimes. Fortunately, even the exceptions have rules. El plato es blanco con rayas azules. However, this doesnt mean that all words that end with an -a are feminine. Here there are some examples: El cuento (tale) La cuenta (account, sum). And to make things more interesting, the fact is that with time, languages evolve and change. The Spanish gender can be distinguished with certain endings or by checking the gender of the adjectives, pronouns and Spanish articles surrounding that word. So how come it's "el problema" and not "la problema" since "el" should always modify a masculine noun and "la" a feminine noun. Im going to list them one by one, and also I will teach you what the exceptions are if there are any. And because it is an occupation, we said that those that end in -a, tend to stay the same. You will get new updates by email, as well as a copy of my ebook, the Definitive Guide to Learn Conjugations in Spanish. I feel like its a lifeline. As you can see, below that chart, you'll then see the "el" & "la . And because it is an occupation, we said that those . Her bedroom is purple. Uruguay is very pretty. So, its important to memorize the feminine words that end with the consonant z. Nouns ending with -aje are usually masculine: el masaje, el garaje, el paisaje, el pasaje, el peaje, etc. The adjective for Italia is italiano. . Nuestro coche est sucio. It's the person's gender that will determine whether we use el or la. Spanish speakers always like to have vacations in plural. They wish that they were in love now. https://lingualinkup.com/el-la-spanish/ (accessed var d = (new Date()).toString().split(' ').splice(1,3).join(' '); You will find them in the list below. According to the standard rules, you would think the opposite, but as youll see in the exceptions below, youll learn the nuances with the Spanish language. Most animal names have a female and a male form, but not all do. When they describe a NOUN, they must match its GENDER (masculine/feminine). For objects and concepts, Spanish gender is, The Spanish masculine gender can be used to talk about a, Most feminine words in Spanish end with , Singular feminine words that start with a, Certain nouns related to professions have fixed endings. Most adjectives in Spanish can be either feminine or masculine depending on the genre of the accompanying noun. I have two hundred pesos. The Amazon River is the worlds largest river. Lessons for Adults & Kids. either to a group of male persons or a . I've still got some vacation time left before the end of the year. This allows us to ease the pronunciation! The judge is always on time. In Spanish, the masculine form of these animals almost always takes precedence. Quiero un rojo ms intenso. Sometimes, all we need is a quick and simple explanation to remove the obstacles, bringing the goal of being fluent in Spanish within grasping distance. El frica El Agua- Las Agua (plural) the waters It's a good place to start for beginners though! Lingua Linkup. Because all the nouns that end with -in are feminine words in Spanish. * This is the only word ending in -ua that takes a masculine article. So far, youve learned some of the most common endings used to form feminine and masculine words in Spanish and their exceptions. Words like el reloj (watch) have a gender, but it is not always easy to predict. It is basically just a sign of respect. In the sections below, youll find tables with the most common endings for masculine words in Spanish. For example, we usually say la moto for motorcycle, which ends in an -o. A Spanish noun is a word we use to name people, things, concepts, places, and animals. When describing a masculine noun like "Amigo", we must use a masculine adjective as well, such as "Honesto". Take Note: The gender of a noun in Spanish affects determiners, adjectives, and some pronouns. List of colors in Spanish 1. Can vacaciones be singular? You are too stressed out; you should go on holiday. You know that people and animals are masculine or feminine, but did you know that nouns in Spanish have gender? Esta camisa es negra. But be careful! Take Note: Do not get mixed up! These noun endings can tip you off that a noun is probably feminine. In both theFluenz online programand the Fluenz Spanish Immersions, we take it one step at a time. Los dentistas estn muy jvenes. Words ending in -ed (if the stress falls on this syllable). However your friend is a hypochondriac and you need to assure him/her everything is going to be fine. Reading comprehension. Sometimes the word is the same and we can only figure out the meaning with the articles or pronouns that go with them: El capital (money) La capital (capital city), El editorial (editorial) La editorial (publisher), El pendiente (earring) La pendiente (slope). In Spanish, all nouns have a gender. A student learns how to identify gender in Spanish. This can be very confusing. Masculine and Feminine in Spanish (el & la): The Rules & Their Many Exceptions. *Note: la moto and la foto are a shortened version of the feminine words motocicleta and fotografa. Sometimes you cant tell if a word is masculine or feminine in Spanish only by its form. Generally, if the masculine form ends with an -o, to form the feminine you just need to replace it with an -a: If the masculine form ends witn a consonant, to form the feminine we just add an -a: They usually have the same form for masculine and feminine: el/la estudiante, el/la cantante, el/la agente, el/la paciente, etc. In Spanish, all nouns are either masculine or feminine. Everything weve ever written about Spanish, all in one place. Equal Opportunity Employment Program The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre hires on the basis of merit and is strongly committed to equity, diversity and inclusion within its community. Two examples are doctora (female doctor) and camisa (shirt). From students and tourists to doctors and soldiers whove moved and visited here over the years. While most nouns refer to objects and concepts that dont have gender, there are also the nouns that do. 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). These key rules will make it easier for you! Create your account. Why? Most masculine nouns end in -o, like hermano, meaning 'brother' and most feminine nouns end in -a, like hermana, meaning 'sister'. Here's what's included: Get conjugations, examples, and pronunciations for millions of words and phrases in Spanish and English. Sofia is very smart. I love smoked salmon. As you can see, below that chart, youll then see the el & la exceptions for Spanish words. But then you find out that its la foto, not el foto. Suzys bottle is empty. If you liked this post, you can share it with someone else who might find it helpful! La mesera descansa los jueves. But that is also the beauty of a language, and the fact that it is alive and evolving is one of the elements that I find personally interesting. There is one other ending that ends in -a, -ista, that is actually both feminine and masculine. How to know if a word is masculine or feminine in Spanish? La torre - the tower. Your voice is so high-pitched. And of course, they are all derived from the isms of the previous rule. (2020,May 08 ). Idioms with the word back, Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2023. 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. Talking about people, especially family members, often includes referring to gender. When talking about people, animals and occupations things get a bit blurry. However, with some specific nouns (especially when we talk about professions) we do replace the -e with an -a, and both forms are correct: El presidente -> La presidente / La presidenta. The dressing room is occupied. SpanishDict is the world's most popular Spanish-English dictionary, translation, and learning website. In fact, a few masculine words also end with this vowel. The journalist is very persistent. If you dont have one, sign up its free! Probar is an O to UE stem-changing verb. The Masculine and feminine 1 Whack-a-mole. Dont worry! This free website is created with love and a great deal of work. Join the Tell Me In Spanish community and get a copy of my step-by-step Spanish Learners Roadmaps and tricky synonyms & vocab cheat sheets. One warning, though: the S in LONERS refers to nouns that are singular, like el mes. 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). LONERS - words that end with any of the letters in LONERS are usually masculine. Theres a cold front in the city. Nouns ending with -a are usually feminine: la mesa, la cama, la casa, la palabra, etc. In Spanish, the following nouns are always masculine: (Determiner] +[noun] + [verb conjugated] + [complement]. Esa cantante es muy talentosa. In the following sections, well explore some of Spanishs most important rules for feminine and masculine nouns. With these nouns in singular, the indefinite article (un/una) is masculine, too: un aula, un guila, etc. My cousin is also smart. For instance, a table (la mesa) is feminine, while a desk (el escritorio) is masculine. Sometimes we have a different word for each sex: Just the same as what happens with people, sometimes we have different words for each sex: Many words have an only form, masculine or feminine: El tiburn, el cocodrilo, el dinosaurio, el pulpo, etc. La comida estuvo muy rica. Necesito un respiro de mi familia despus de la reunin. Tu voz es muy chillona. To do so, youll use Spanish articles, adjectives, or pronouns. Dijiste que the letters of the alphabet are masculine, pero son feminine, Muchas gracias, Ann! But really, the LONERS rule will work for you almost every time. endings to determine the gender of a word in Spanish. Nouns that end with -ma, -pa, -ta, or any of the letters in the word LONERS are usually masculine. Adjectives describing, agua are feminine. In Spanish, all nouns have a gender. And to improve your Spanish even further, book a lesson with me! The song is too long. trabajador (feminine trabajadora, masculine plural trabajadores, feminine plural trabajadoras) hard-working Synonyms: currante, trabajante; Noun . However, in certain situations, changing the gender of a noun can also change its meaning, as you can see in the graphic and examples below: Mi mam tiene un cerezo. Feminine forms. A lot of irregular forms happen among farm animals, for the same reason that English has a different word for cow and bull. The gender affects their role on the farm, so having different words comes in handy. In . The grammatical gender is an arbitrary classification that divides nouns into two types: masculines or feminines. What gender is the sea in your mind? link to Venir Conjugation 101: Conjugate Venir In Spanish, link to Probar Conjugation 101: Conjugate Probar in Spanish. I like the red bag more. Learn all about the Spanish gender roles below - Feminine (la) vs Masculine (el). L'immigration est + masculine que fminine : INFO ou INFOX ? A noun is a word referring to a person, animal, place, thing, feeling or idea (e.g. Mi primo tambin es inteligente. In Spanish if there is a group of people, both males and females, you use the masculine to address them all, so masculine will work in most cases. 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]. While some exceptions (like la mano) are just exceptions, many words that seemingly end in -o are actually shortenings of other words. As explained before, a big portion of masculine words in Spanish end with an -o. The 27 Letters of the Spanish Alphabet [2022], Learn Basic Spanish: The First 10 Spanish Words You Need To Learn [2022]. My mom has a cherry tree. Therefore, its correct to say: Tengo cien pesos. The idea here is that words that end in any of the letters L-O-N-E-R-S tend to be masculine. When we have 2 or more nouns with different genre (one is masculine and the other one is feminine), and there is 1 adjective used to describe both of them, the genre of this adjective will be masculine. Collins Complete Spanish Electronic Dictionary HarperCollins Publishers 2011. This semester is really tough. -Tud, like in the word actitud (attitude) is also a common ending for feminine nouns. Singapur es muy caro. You cant apply it to plural nouns or that would mean that every word would be masculine. La disco is short for la discoteca, andla foto is short forla fotografa. However, there are certain words whose endings are unalterable. Some examples are hijo (son), zapato (shoe) and mono (monkey). Now lets see how to know if a word is masculine or feminine in Spanish when talking about people and animals. Discover word endings used for feminine and masculine nouns in Spanish, explore exceptions,. With these rules below, youll know which to use with every word el or la. Watch out! The same goes for nouns ending with -or: el amor, el dolor, el error, el sabor, etc. One might phrase it like thisand I am sincerely sorry if the address here is too masculine, but there is no help for it. In some cases, you will be able to tell the gender of a word based on the ending of the word itself. The articles which accompany a masculine noun are el (definite) / uno (indefinite), while the feminine ones are la (definite) / una (indefinite) . Example 1: We said all words ending in -a are feminine. That said, we need to get something out of the way before diving into the rules for gender in Spanish. If you were referring to a male friend, which article would you use EL or LA? Me gusta el vestido rosa. Nouns ending in -o, an accented vowel, -or, or -aje are usually masculine. Como La Flor, by Selena. (m) means that a noun is masculine. Adjectives that end with an -e or a consonant cannot be modified to express the Spanish grammatical gender. -Fue un lunes, -Ha sido un septiembre hmedo -Nac en el 84 -Son las cinco y cuarto -Poner los puntos sobre las es -La hache delante de la 'a' es muda Spanish Survival Kit: Asking for Directions [2022]. Get to Grips with Spanish: Spanish Grammar for Beginners: Masculine & Feminine, Singular & Plural (English Edition) eBook : Helliwell, Julie: Amazon.nl: Boeken The light is quite bright. There are three genders in Spanish: masculine, feminine, and neutral. Your email address will not be published. Some of the exceptions occur because of how the words were treated in other languages, such as Latin and Greek. Masculine and Feminine in Spanish (el & la): The Rules & Their Many Exceptions. (in summer) a. veranear Copyright 2006 Harrap Publishers Limited vacation noun 1 especially (Britain) (Jur) receso (m) vacacional (formal); periodo (m) vacacional Click on the arrows to change the translation direction. Access millions of accurate translations written by our team of experienced English-Spanish translators. Me urge una vacacin! My horse is black and my mare brown. Men wish that they had been warriors, or are proud that they once were. All rights reserved. These apples are very sour. For example: Subscribe for free weekly updates from this Spanish Language site. The word in the example sentence does not match the entry word. Also see my lesson on the stressed A, which causes feminine nouns to take the masculine article. Venir is an irregular verb in Spanish. Objectos de clase (masculine - feminine ) Group sort. And since we are here, this is one of my favorite songs in Spanish! When My Masculine Met My Feminine | Tijana Tamburic | TEDxBucharest These are some of the nouns whose endings cannot change. Over time we've worked to perfect every minute of every learning session. Esos cantantes son espaoles. El vestidor est ocupado. El mecnico trabaja todos los das. 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! The gender of the word does not change even when the person it refers to is masculine. The following Spanish nouns all denote living creatures. The grammatical gender is an arbitrary classification that divides nouns into two types: masculines or feminines. You may have come across this strange exception before where the masculine article el is used for a feminine word. Let's look at the word persona (person) to help explain this idea. If a word ends with these three letters, you can be almost certain its a feminine noun. One of the first things that Spanish students learn is that most Spanish nouns that end in -o are masculine and most that end in -a are feminine. Janet Long has taught post-secondary Spanish and English for over 15 years. 1. Read 250 words that are the same in English and Spanish and Spanish words that are similar to English words to boost your vocabulary right away! Every single noun in Spanish has a gender: feminine or masculine. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. La periodista es muy insistente. Be one of them! Te lo has pasado bien en las vacaciones? When you are starting out in Spanish knowing the gender of nouns is very difficult. But for example to most of us the word mdicAsounds wrong- we wouldnt use it. (general) a. vacation (United States) Me urge una vacacin! The L cuts that unpleasant sound: el agua. Most Spanish adjectives must agree in gender and number with the accompanying noun. La parte - the part. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. Search millions of Spanish-English example sentences from our dictionary, TV shows, and the internet. Unlike the masculine, theres no fun acronym for feminine nouns. On your particular example of a dropdown menu with the names of languages, you don't have to worry because there is only one name for (the language) Spanish: espaol, masculine. Uncle and aunt, for example, are el to andla ta. I have one hundred pesos. Soy Daniela Sanchez, Ive taught Spanish in Mexico to a wide array of foreigners. Why? In addition to these anomalies, there are other Spanish gender exceptions that you must keep in mind. The user may also prefer cheaper vacations and may have desiderata or wishes such as visiting an attraction park in each stop. All of the nouns ending with -o are usually masculine: el bolgrafo, el dinero, el edificio, el vaso, etc. [Determiner] + [noun] + [verb conjugated] + [adjective]. These adjectives are derived from the name of that place. The opposite time of day, la noche (night), is feminine, so you can think of them as a pair. Given that this may be a new concept for new learners, many people wonder what grammatical gender in Spanish is. Again, there is no real reason. Colors are always masculine, even if they end with -a: el rojo, el negro, el azul, el naranja, el prpura, etc. Feminine or masculine? As established before, a Spanish noun can be classified as masculine or feminine depending on its gender. We only say "el agua" only because it's smoother to pronounce than "la aqua." Period. Colours in Spanish. Feminine nouns have different letters at the end of them than masculine ones. Fish are very pretty. Many people mistakenly think the gender of a noun in Spanish is determined by who uses that object. Now lets check out the tricks for masculine nouns in Spanish. frias, sair de frias, frias [feminine, vacances [feminine, plural], passer ses vacances, vacanza, andare in vacanza, (passare le vacanze), Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes, Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English. When using adjectives to describe a person, use the gender that the person identifies with. Nouns with other endings, such as other consonants, usually need to be memorized. La familia se fue de vacaciones a Mjico. Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English. Another example of this is la radio, which is a shorter form of the word radiodifusin. Sometimes the word just breaks the rules, and we have to memorize that they are different, such as la mano (hand). Benoit Hamon, CEO de SINGA, est venu sur Komune pour donner des faits face aux ides Because coming from English you dont have any reference to hold on to, sometimes our memory can only recall so much and we mix up the gender. This is a feminine word because it is a short form of the longer word, la motocicleta. Otherwise, it would sound like laaagua. So with people you may not know well, perhaps someone older, or people of authority/higher status than oneself such as a college professor. Encarga doscientas galletas.Order two hundred cookies. Most Spanish nouns ending in -o are masculine, and most ending in -a are feminine, but there are exceptions.

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