Get a Step-by-Step Map to Learning Spanish. List of colors in Spanish 1. The word for 'the' or 'a' changes depending on the gender of the noun and whether it is singular or plural. Recuerdas aquella vez que estuvimos de vacaciones en Vermont? La casa blanca es muy bonita.The white house is very pretty. When My Masculine Met My Feminine | Tijana Tamburic | TEDxBucharest 0 && stateHdr.searchDesk ? The last three of them are actually abbreviations of feminine compound words: la radiofona, la motocicleta, la fotografa. Singapore is very expensive. All rights reserved. La familia se fue de vacaciones a Mjico. Feminine forms. -Tud, like in the word actitud (attitude) is also a common ending for feminine nouns. Su habitacin es morada. Feminine nouns have different letters at the end of them than masculine ones. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol). Access millions of accurate translations written by our team of experienced English-Spanish translators. Necesito un respiro de mi familia despus de la reunin. How do numbers and gender affect adjectives in Spanish? You can use the word that best fits a noun to determine if it's masculine or feminine. *People, animals and occupations have their own set of rules. But then you find out that its la foto, not el foto. (Check out this link to learn how to use articles in Spanish). One ending with a final -a, -ista, can be used on words for male or female people, and is both masculine and feminine. Nouns ending in o are usually masculine, and nouns ending in a are usually feminine. A few of the most common ones are: Any words that are actually a shorter form of a longer word. One warning, though: the S in LONERS refers to nouns that are singular, like el mes. Fast, easy, reliable language certification, 35,000+ worksheets, games, and lesson plans. Nuestro coche est sucio. 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 hope you have enjoyed this article about masculine and feminine in Spanish! Little by little, and loads of practice is the best remedy. 4. The user may also prefer cheaper vacations and may have desiderata or wishes such as visiting an attraction park in each stop. Miami Beach, FL 33139, All Rights Reserved, 2017-2023. Most Spanish nouns ending in -o are masculine, and most ending in -a are feminine, but there are exceptions. places and ideas. Masculine and Feminine in Spanish (el & la): The Rules & Their Many Exceptions. Animals With A Regular Masculine And Feminine Form. Learn about masculine and feminine nouns in Spanish. [Determiner] + [noun] + [verb conjugated] + [adjective]. -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 In contrast to English, the Spanish plural of the masculine forms of these words refers to "not-all-feminine" groups, i.e. Now lets check out the tricks for masculine nouns in Spanish. Soy Daniela Sanchez, Ive taught Spanish in Mexico to a wide array of foreigners. el day is masculine and is the ONLY exception. Masculine nouns are used with articles like el or un and have adjectives that end in -o, while female nouns use the articles la or una and have adjectives that end in -a. Your lipstick is so pretty! In his spare time, he enjoys reading and getting angry about things on. If you know your endings and what gender they fall into, the onlyexception to keep in mind is when the word refers to a person, an animal or an occupation because the person or animal will determine the gender of the word. Tweet. I have one hundred pesos. Create your account. Both are masculine in Spanish, but when translated to French they become feminine even though the words are almost exactly the same: la couleur, la dent. This is why despite how difficult it is to learn Spanish, we are confident there is a realistic and achievable path to fluency. Here's what's included: Get conjugations, examples, and pronunciations for millions of words and phrases in Spanish and English. The articles which accompany a masculine noun are el (definite) / uno (indefinite), while the feminine ones are la (definite) / una (indefinite) . 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. The dish is white with blue stripes. After all, how can you know if problema and mano are feminine or masculine? In Spanish nationalities are expressed through origin adjectives (known as gentilicios in Spanish). Not knowing if a word is feminine or masculine in Spanish can lead to poor communication and, in some cases, misunderstandings. ). There are also adjectives where the singular masculine form ends in -e or a consonant, and it keeps the same form in the feminine singular ( verde, azul, gris, marrn) and both gender . With these rules below, you'll know which to use with every word "el" or "la". el gato male cat Mi gatita est enferma. Voy a viajar a Mxico durante las vacaciones de verano. As you can see, below that chart, youll then see the el & la exceptions for Spanish words. Because of this, most people assume that vestido is feminine, only to find out that theyre wrong. This semester is really tough. (Administration) vacancy vacances plural feminine noun holidays pluriel (Brit) holiday (Brit) vacation (USA) les grandes vacances the summer holidays (Brit) the summer vacation (USA) prendre des vacances to take a holiday (Brit) to take a vacation (USA) prendre ses vacances to take one's holidays (Brit) to take one's vacation (USA) A common mistake made by Spanish learners is to confuse the number one, uno, with un, which means a/an. Not only in Spanish, but also in other Romance and non-Romance languages, such as German and Russian. While most nouns refer to objects and concepts that dont have gender, there are also the nouns that do. El Amazonas es el ro ms largo del mundo. Therefore, its correct to say: Tengo cien pesos. El ni o - the male child / la ni a - the female child. This is the only noun ending that does not have a guideline gender classification. Most adjectives in Spanish can be either feminine or masculine depending on the genre of the accompanying noun. However your friend is a hypochondriac and you need to assure him/her everything is going to be fine. Ese rbol es muy viejo. man, dog, house). 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. Las aguas azucaradas son malas para la salud. We say EL agua frA (The cold water). 2. Unfortunately, there are not as many rules to know whether a noun in Spanish is masculine. . The L cuts that unpleasant sound: el agua. Esa cantante es muy talentosa. Venir is an irregular verb in Spanish. Colors are ADJECTIVES. While this is actually true for a lot of words, there are so many exceptions to this rule that it often becomes more of a problem than a solution. 08, 2020, https://lingualinkup.com/el-la-spanish/, Masculine and Feminine in Spanish (el & la): The Rules & Their Many 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). Los dentistas estn muy jvenes. The waitress doesnt work on Thursday. What does the root Manus mean? In English, you use a form of the verb 'to be' (am, is, are, was, were, etc.) I hope you find what youre looking for here during your journey into Espaol . All rights reserved. Here's what's included: Get conjugations, examples, and pronunciations for millions of words and phrases in Spanish and English. Remember that nouns that end with z do not follow a default gender guideline. Nouns ending in -cin, -sin, -dad, -tad and -tud are feminine: la cancin, relacin, la televisin, la expresin, la ciudad, la verdad, la libertad, la amistad, la solicitud, la juventud, etc. You will need to memorize rule-breaking words like la mano (hand) and el d'ia (day). I need a vacation from my family after the reunion. The grammatical gender is an arbitrary classification that divides nouns into two types: masculines or feminines. Nouns in Spanish can be either feminine or masculine, and this distinction can often seem illogical to people who don't speak Spanish. We know, we know, the exceptions are very frustrating. Learn and practice Spanish * Daily practice * Find your level (proficiency test) * Spanish for beginners * Travel Spanish, A1 | A2 | B1 | B2 | C1 Find your level. Hubo mil quinientos invitados.There were one thousand five hundred guests. Then its time to test yourself with a quick quiz we put together. vacation translate: vacances [feminine, plural], vacances [feminine, plural], passer ses vacances, vacances, passer des. See answer (1) Copy. and the Spanish Civil War failed in reality to place him in a distinctly different camp from Chamberlain and . There are some words that end with -o, -ma, -pa, -ta, or LONERS that are feminine. It is basically just a sign of respect. Descubr lo que tu empresa podra llegar a alcanzar. Learn more in the Cambridge English-French Dictionary. Janet Long has taught post-secondary Spanish and English for over 15 years. Have you tried it yet? El vestidor est ocupado. If you liked this post, you can share it with someone else who might find it helpful! It's time to Get to Grips with Spanish. However, the word persona is always a feminine word. For example, the application developer may write a rule stating that each. For example, we usually say la moto for motorcycle, which ends in an -o. He made the wrong decision. Lucia has very nice qualities. Days and months are masculine: el lunes, el mircoles, el sbado, este abril, ese enero, etc. All of the nouns ending with -o are usually masculine: el bolgrafo, el dinero, el edificio, el vaso, etc. Usted is used to speak in a more professional manner. 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Copyright 2006 Harrap Publishers Limited. The journalist works all day. As you can see, there are adjectives that follow the regular rule for endings using -o/-as/-os/-as (rojo, amarillo, negro, blanco, morado). We know that a person can be a man or a woman. And because it is an occupation, we said that those that end in -a, tend to stay the same. Privacy | Terms of Use. Its important to know the grammatical gender of a noun in Spanish because all of the elements referring to them (articles, adjectives, pronouns) will agree in grammatical gender, too: There are some rules that you can follow when it comes to identifying masculine and feminine in Spanish. As a romance language, Spanish has grammatical gender whose purpose is to express whether a noun is masculine or feminine. Both are fem. This allows us to ease the pronunciation! The bull is very aggressive, and the cow is very calm. Our car is dirty. Copyright Curiosity Media, Inc., a division of IXL Learning. Do you have any QUESTION or comment about Spanish language? If you are starting to learn Spanish, we only introduce the concept of gender differences a couple of sessions in. His shoes are very expensive. The gender of the word does not change even when the person it refers to is masculine. Spanish gender is a complex topic. Tom la decisin equivocada. Masculine and Feminine in Spanish (el & la): The Rules & Their Many Exceptions. Many people mistakenly think the gender of a noun in Spanish is determined by who uses that object. vacacion is more commonly used in plural than in singular. Be aware that these guidelines are not set in stone, and there are some exceptions that youll need to memorize. Spanish speakers always like to have vacations in plural. Sugared water is bad for your health. I hope this helps. There are some rules to determine if a noun is masculine of feminine. Plural of Masculine Nouns [edit | edit source]. -A, -in, -dad, -tad and -tud are all endings for feminine words. 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. Tu vecina es muy ruidosa. by Classroom52. Before a stressed A vowel sound, use EL instead of LA even if the noun is feminine. Now lets see how to know if a word is masculine or feminine in Spanish when talking about people and animals. El maquillaje de Claudia es muy bueno. The grammatical gender is an arbitrary classification that divides nouns into two types: masculines or feminines. "Masculine and Feminine in Spanish (el & la): The Rules & Their Many Exceptions." These key rules will make it easier for you! El toro es muy agresivo y la vaca muy tranquila. La foto, can actually shed some light into one of the rules for feminine words. Otherwise, it would sound like laaagua. So, you would have to establish if that friend is a male or a female to determine which article to use. Your email address will not be published. But since doctor refers to a person and an occupation, its the gender of the doctor that will determine the article and ending. The Philippines (/ f l p i n z / (); Filipino: Pilipinas), officially the Republic of the Philippines (Filipino: Republika ng Pilipinas), is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia.It is situated in the western Pacific Ocean and consists of around 7,641 islands that are broadly categorized under three main geographical divisions from north to south: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Your house is big and pretty. My horse is black and my mare brown. The adjective for Italia is italiano. Cuntas clases faltan para las vacaciones? This attribute allows us to classify words as either masculine or feminine. L'immigration est + masculine que fminine : INFO ou INFOX ? But as you already know, there is no such thing as neutral nouns in Spanish. The idea here is that words that end in any of the letters L-O-N-E-R-S tend to be masculine. Because aguas is plural in the second example, the s on the end of the article las breaks up the stressed a in aguas. In Italian (including all Italian dialects) and Portuguese, the sea is strictly masculine: il mare (Sicilian: u mari, Venetian: el mar, Neapolitan: 'o mare, Sardinian: su mari, Corsican: u mare) and o mar (the same for Galician); however in French and Romanian it is feminine: la mer and la mare. Possible excuses include hospitalization. A Spanish noun is a word we use to name people, things, concepts, places, and animals. 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. Quiero un caf, por favor. tony bloom starlizard. Thomas grew up in suburban Massachusetts, and moved to New York City for college. Sometimes you cant tell if a word is masculine or feminine in Spanish only by its form. Colors are always masculine, even if they end with -a: el rojo, el negro, el azul, el naranja, el prpura, etc. This can be very confusing. Therefore, vestido (dress) is actually a masculine noun. Is vacation in Spanish masculine or feminine? For example: Subscribe for free weekly updates from this Spanish Language site. Lesson outline 1. The electric scooter is very practical. "Masculine and Feminine in Spanish (el & la): The Rules & Their Many Exceptions." We said words that end in -or are masculine. Be careful since you may fall into a trap of gender thinking. That said, we need to get something out of the way before diving into the rules for gender in Spanish. Encarga doscientas galletas.Order two hundred cookies. 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. Other nouns that are always feminine are those words that end with -ad or -ed. So, well cover those exceptions below, too. El ftbol es muy aburrido. The letters of the alphabet are feminine: la a, la be, la ce, la de, etc. 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. If a color is working as a Spanish adjective, it will need to change its gender to agree with the noun unless such a color ends with a consonant or -e. Nouns ending with -aje are usually masculine: el masaje, el garaje, el paisaje, el pasaje, el peaje, etc. This free website is created with love and a great deal of work. Fluenz Fluenz Blog Learn Spanish Basic Spanish El or La? Why is it important to know if a noun is feminine or masculine? Dijiste que the letters of the alphabet are masculine, pero son feminine, Muchas gracias, Ann! That color is pretty. This site also participates in other affiliate programs, including CJ and other sites, and is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies, but in no way increases the cost to you if you opt to make a purchase from my links. These short words keep the gender of the longer word, even if they have -ma, -pa, -ta, or LONERS at the end. Feminine or masculine? (m) means that a noun is masculine. They have a master's degrees in English from Southeast Missouri State University and a master's degree in Spanish literature from the University of Missouri Columbia. Learn all about the Spanish gender roles below - Feminine (la) vs Masculine (el). Do you see those words ending with -ma? Most nouns that end in "a" are feminine nouns. So far, youve learned some of the most common endings used to form feminine and masculine words in Spanish and their exceptions. I can help you with that! " El nio es bonito y gordo ". With these rules below, you'll know which to use with every word "el" or "la". Here are the exceptions to this rule. I've still got some vacation time left before the end of the year. (2020,May 08 ). Here are the exceptions to this rule. Here are some of the letters that we usually see at the end of masculine words. Therefore, "red" is "rojo" but it becomes "roja" with a. A noun is a word used to denominate a person, thing, place or concept. El nino y el gato. Luca tiene cualidades muy buenas. Some examples are hijo (son), zapato (shoe) and mono (monkey). Also, notice that there are masculine nouns that end in -l, -z, and -n. I would recommend you learn the following by heart. link to Venir Conjugation 101: Conjugate Venir In Spanish, link to Probar Conjugation 101: Conjugate Probar in Spanish. Esta camisa es negra. las vacaciones and la estaci'on. Although in English there is no need to think about whether a pencil is a masculine or a feminine noun, it is important in Spanish because the adjectives (i. e. pretty, ugly, small, big) and articles (the equivalents of "the" in Spanish, such as: el, la, los and las) of a sentence must match the gender and number of nouns.