Gender of Nouns in Spanish Grammar
Introduction
Nouns (sustantivos), describe people, places, things and concrete or abstracts concepts. In Spanish grammar, nouns are classified by gender as masculine or feminine. The gender of a noun in Spanish can generally be identified by the noun ending, however, there are some exceptions.
Learn the rules for identifying masculine and feminine nouns in Spanish grammar with Lingolia. In the exercises, you can practise what you have learnt.
Example
Masculine Nouns
The general rule is that nouns ending in -o are masculine. However, there are some different noun endings and noun categories that are also considered masculine. Below is a list of general rules, examples and exceptions for determining masculine nouns in Spanish Grammar:
| word ending | example | exception |
|---|---|---|
| -o | el trabajojob, el librobook | la fotophoto, la manohand |
| -aje | el viajetrip, el trajesuit | |
| -ambre | el calambrecramp | |
| -ar, -er, -or | el colmenarapiary, el ordenadorcomputer, el tallergarage | |
| -an, -en, -in, -on, un (with or without an accent) | el panbread, el andénplatform, el espadíndress sword, el jamónham, el atúntuna fish | |
| -ate, -ete, ote | el escaparateshop window, el camarotecabin | |
| -é | el cafécoffee | |
| -és | el arnésharness | |
| -che | el cochecar, el porcheporch | la nochenight |
| -l | el papelpaper, el nivellevel | la pielskin, la cárcelprison |
| -ma | el programaprogram, el poemapoem | la cremalotion, la camabed |
| -miento | el pimientopepper, el sufrimientosuffering | |
| -n | el trentrain | la imagenpicture |
| -pa | el mapamap, el arpaharp | la capacloak |
| -ta | el cometacomet, el planetaplanet | la cartaletter, la patapaw |
| -x | el tóraxthorax | |
| -y | el bueyox, el jerseypullover | |
| compound words formed with a verb | el paraguas (parar + agua)umbrella stop + water |
|
| compass directions | el norteNorth | |
| days of the week | el lunesMonday | |
| months | el eneroJanuary | |
| numerals | el unoone | |
| names of bodies of water and mountains | el AtlánticoAtlantic, el TeideTeide |
Feminine Nouns
The general rule is that nouns ending in -a are feminine. However, there are some different noun endings and noun categories that are also considered feminine. Below is a list of general rules, examples and exceptions for determining feminine nouns in Spanish grammar:
| word ending | example | exception |
|---|---|---|
| -a | la ventanawindow, la comidafood | el sofácouch, el díaday |
| -ia, -ie | la historiastory, la serieseries | |
| -ad, -ed, -id, ud | la facultadfaculty, la paredwall, la vidgrapevine, la saludhealth | el ataúdcoffin |
| -ez, -eza | la veztime, la tristezagrief | |
| -is | la tesisthesis, la crisiscrisis | el arcoírisrainbow |
| -ncia | la provinciaprovince, la pacienciapatience | |
| -umbre | la costumbrehabit, la cumbresummit | |
| -z | la cruzcross, la nariznose | el lápizpencil |
| -ción, -sión, -zón | la informacióninformation, la presiónpressure, la razónreason | |
| the name of islands | Mallorca | el Hierro |
| city names ending with -a | Barcelona | |
| many countries | EspañaSpain, ItaliaItaly | Congo |
| letters of the alphabet | la athe A |
To Note
As with all rules, there are a few exceptions so it’s best to learn the article and gender together with the noun.