Gender and articles
Masculine and feminine, el, la, un, una, al and del.
Every Spanish noun is masculine or feminine, and the words with it agree: "the", "a", adjectives. For people and animals gender usually follows sex; for things it's a matter of grammar, so learn each noun with its article.
| Masculine | Feminine | |
|---|---|---|
| the | el libro | la casa |
| the (plural) | los libros | las casas |
| a, an | un libro | una casa |
| some | unos libros | unas casas |
Telling the gender
Most nouns in -o are masculine and most in -a feminine. Some other endings are reliable too:
| Usually masculine | Usually feminine |
|---|---|
| -o: el vaso | -a: la mesa |
| -or: el color, el amor | -ción, -sión: la canción, la televisión |
| -aje: el viaje | -dad, -tad: la ciudad, la libertad |
| -ma, from Greek: el problema, el idioma | -tud: la juventud |
Common exceptions: el día "day", el mapa "map", el sofá, el planeta; la mano "hand", la foto, la moto, la radio (the last three short for fotografía, motocicleta and radiodifusión). Nouns ending in -e or in a consonant can be either: el coche "car", la noche "night", el árbol "tree", la sal "salt".
Many nouns for people change -o to -a, or add -a: el niño, la niña; el profesor, la profesora. Those ending in -ista and -nte change only the article: el estudiante, la estudiante; el artista, la artista.
El agua
A feminine noun starting with a stressed a- sound takes el and un in the singular, so that two a's don't run together: el agua "the water", un águila "an eagle". It stays feminine: el agua fría, las aguas.
Al and del
a "to" and de "of, from" join el in one word: a + el is al, and de + el is del. They don't join la, los, las, or él "he".
- I'm going to the market.
- I'm coming from work.
- It's the teacher's house.
Where Spanish uses "the"
Spanish uses the article in some places English doesn't:
- For things in general: Me gusta el café "I like coffee", La vida es bella "Life is beautiful".
- With titles, when talking about someone: El señor García no está "Mr. García isn't in". Not when talking to them: Buenos días, señor García.
- With days, for "on": Trabajo el lunes "I work on Monday".
- With parts of the body and clothes, where English says "my": Me lavo las manos "I wash my hands".
And leaves out un and una after ser with a job, religion or nationality: Soy profesor "I'm a teacher".
Cards from this guide
11 cardsEach card asks about one thing this guide teaches, and its back gives the answer with why and an example. They're reviewed with the rest of the Nouns and describing words cards.
Which article goes with casa (house)?
la: la casa.
Is problema (problem) masculine or feminine?
Masculine: el problema.
Is mano (hand) masculine or feminine?
Feminine: la mano.
Is día (day) masculine or feminine?
Masculine: el día.
What gender are nouns ending in -ción and -dad, like canción and ciudad?
Feminine: la canción, la ciudad.
Why is it el agua, though agua is feminine?
It starts with a stressed a-, so it takes el in the singular.
What do a + el become?
al: Voy al cine.
What do de + el become?
del: el coche del vecino.
How do you say 'I like coffee', about coffee in general?
Me gusta el café.
How do you say 'I'm a teacher'?
Soy profesor, or profesora for a woman.
How do you say 'the student' about a woman?
la estudiante