For that reason, in this guide, Ill provide you with all the key information you need to know to determine the gender of nouns in Spanish. 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. When you first start learning Spanish, grammatical gender can seem arbitrary and confusing. #RAEconsultas Although vacaciones is the majority use, the singular vacacin is also correct: la vacacin veraniega (P. Lan Entralgo). Ese color es bonito. These short words keep the gender of the longer word, even if they have -ma, -pa, -ta, or LONERS at the end. So, its important to memorize the feminine words that end with the consonant z. These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. In the tables below, youll find the most common endings for feminine words in Spanish. Also, notice that there are masculine nouns that end in -l, -z, and -n. I would recommend you learn the following by heart. Quiero un caf, por favor. Because all the nouns that end with -in are feminine words in Spanish. Test yourself on the gender of Spanish nouns: Note: You must be logged into your Progress with Lawless Spanish account to take these tests. Nouns that end with -ma, -pa, -ta, or any of the letters in the word LONERS are usually masculine. (f) means that a noun is feminine. Many people learning Spanish assume that these are neutral nouns. Thomas grew up in suburban Massachusetts, and moved to New York City for college. The kids play in the park. Something like ZAD? I have an extra pen. One of the biggest exceptions to the LONERS rule we talked about for masculine nouns above is-in. In his spare time, he enjoys reading and getting angry about things on. With these rules below, you'll know which to use with every word "el" or "la". The light is quite bright. If a word ends with these three letters, you can be almost certain its a feminine noun. Whether its a good idea to split the world into two genders is a subject for a different article, but for now well go through the various kinds of nouns that switch genders. The standard rules are here on the top of the page, but you shouldn't trust them fully. It's important to remember that the gender of a noun refers only to the grammar of the word, not to the person that it refers to. If you were referring to a male friend, which article would you use EL or LA? 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. Professions also refer to people, but are kind of their own subset. Here are some key points that you should keep in mind about masculine and feminine words in Spanish: Hola! 2. trabajador m (plural trabajadores, feminine trabajadora, feminine plural trabajadoras) worker Synonyms: currante, obrero, trabajante; Derived terms It gives some general rules about how to know if a noun is masculine or feminine. 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. Dont worry! In Spanish, the word "tea" is used for a wide variety of beverages from coffee to cold brew to water to iced tea to tea bags and more. The same goes for some words that end in -o that are actually feminine: la mano, la radio, la foto, etc. As a result, here are some frequently asked questions that most of my students usually have. Feminine or masculine? Required fields are marked *. Is vacation feminine or masculine in Spanish? But be careful! Then its time to test yourself with a quick quiz we put together. El mecnico trabaja todos los das. by Kcastonguay. Luca tiene cualidades muy buenas. Create an account to start this course today. The word in the example sentence does not match the entry word. [Determiner] + [noun] + [verb conjugated] + [adjective]. Singular and plural feminine & masculine maze Maze chase. Key Takeaways: Spanish Noun Gender Nouns ending in -a, -cin, -a, or -dad are usually feminine. Shopping! Ests muy estresado; necesitas irte de vacaciones. For 15 years we've taught Spanish to hundreds of thousands of learners. Nouns that end in -ma are masculine, such as the word problema (problem), Nouns that end in -pa, like the word mapa (map), are also masculine. Colours in Spanish. 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. (Check out this link to learn how to use articles in Spanish). In both theFluenz online programand the Fluenz Spanish Immersions, we take it one step at a time. Los peces son muy bonitos. is vacation in spanish masculine or feminine. 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. Even though the brother is a man, the word persona is always feminine. A lot of them are identical or almost identical to words you already know in English! So how come it's "el problema" and not "la problema" since "el" should always modify a masculine noun and "la" a feminine noun. 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. Many students assume that confusing the gender of words in Spanish is not a big deal. Some of the exceptions occur because of how the words were treated in other languages, such as Latin and Greek. Sus zapatos son muy caros. Here is a quick overview of the topics well cover: By the end of this article, youll have a more solid understanding of how Spanish gender works. This is a feminine word because it is a short form of the longer word, la motocicleta. One of the first things youll find out when learning Spanish is that all nouns have a gender. Take Note: Do not get mixed up! Tell Me In Spanish (tellmeinspanish.com) is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Just because two words look alike doesnt mean they have the same definition. Spanish Survival Kit: Asking for Directions [2022]. Feminine nouns that end in -o * These words are shortened from words that do end in A: discoteca, fotografa, motocicleta, pornografa, and radiodifusin. A noun is a word used to denominate a person, thing, place or concept. 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. Tom la decisin equivocada. The L cuts that unpleasant sound: el agua. Grammatical gender is a property of Spanish nouns. by Classroom52. Mi padres pasaron las vacaciones de Semana Santa en Argentina. Most nouns that end in "a" are feminine nouns. b. holiday (United Kingdom) Ests muy estresado; necesitas irte de vacaciones.You are too stressed out; you should go on holiday. For instance, a table (la mesa) is feminine, while a desk (el escritorio) is masculine. (university) (United Kingdom) a. la vacaciones (F) to take a vacation tomarse unas vacaciones intransitive verb 2. Why? In fact, a few masculine words also end with this vowel. Animals With A Regular Masculine And Feminine Form. The adjective for Italia is italiano. The truth can be painful. The general rule states that all Spanish nouns are masculine or feminine. No me di cuenta, ya lo correg , Your email address will not be published. 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 . "Masculine and Feminine in Spanish (el & la): The Rules & Their Many Exceptions." This is because in English, living creatures often have different names, depending upon whether they are male or female. Therefore, "red" is "rojo" but it becomes "roja" with a. Helpful, right? Tu casa es grande y bonita. Feminine: (a, cin, dad) La chica- the girl. Normalmente, voy de vacaciones en diciembre. 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. The idea here is that words that end in any of the letters L-O-N-E-R-S tend to be masculine. Memorizing just the exceptions will be a lot easier than memorizing every single word in the Spanish language. Mis perros son muy tranquilos. 2. As you might have guessed, all of the tricks were going to cover use word Otherwise, it would sound like laaagua. Youve probably heard this one before: words ending in -a are feminine and words ending in -o are masculine. Very often our students at Fluenz get genders mixed With these rules below, youll know which to use with every word el or la. Hay un frente fro en la ciudad. Your house is big and pretty. Su habitacin es morada. Masculine and Feminine in Spanish (el & Masculine and Feminine in Spanish (el & la): The Rules & Their Many Exceptions, how to tell if a word is masculine or feminine in spanish, what is the difference between masculine and feminine in spanish, 35 Vegetables Translated to Spanish | The Ultimate Master List, Demonstrative Adjectives: This, That, These, and Those Get Them Right. Tu vecina es muy ruidosa. I want a more intense red. When using adjectives to describe a person, use the gender that the person identifies with. With these rules below, you'll know which to use with every word "el" or "la". Luis dog is white. Sugared water is bad for your health. My mom has a cherry tree. 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. Nouns with other endings, such as other consonants, usually need to be memorized. And it gets easier with time and practice. Because aguas is plural in the second example, the s on the end of the article las breaks up the stressed a in aguas. 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? Here, well go through some of the most common giveaways that a word is masculine or feminine, as well as the cases when Spanish grammatical gender can switch for a single word. 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! Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol). Many people mistakenly think the gender of a noun in Spanish is determined by who uses that object. Lingua Linkup, May. Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English. First of all, what is a noun? 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. In many cases, the worst that can happen to you is that your Spanish will not sound very good: La problema es que no tengo tiempo. Mi primo tambin es inteligente. *People, animals and occupations have their own set of rules. "Uncle" and "aunt," for example, are el to and la ta. Why? La juez es muy puntual. LinguaLinkup.com 2023. Uncle and aunt, for example, are el to andla ta. Given that this may be a new concept for new learners, many people wonder what grammatical gender in Spanish is. You may have come across this strange exception before where the masculine article el is used for a feminine word. Take the Spanish words for "colour" and "tooth": el color, el diente. These nouns are: Mi caballo es negro y mi yegua parda. Objectos de clase (masculine - feminine ) Group sort. coming up later. Although its not really incorrect to use the feminine form, its less common. up when learning new vocab because they had learned this rule of thumb. The dentists are very young. For example: Subscribe for free weekly updates from this Spanish Language site. El nino y el gato. The wall is newly painted. Why is it important to know if a noun is feminine or masculine? 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. Exceptions: la mano, la radio, la moto, la foto. I hope you find what youre looking here during your journey into Espaol Read More About Me, Venir Conjugation 101: Conjugate Venir In Spanish. (general) a. vacation (United States) Me urge una vacacin! Sometimes you cant tell if a word is masculine or feminine in Spanish only by its form. We said words that end in -or are masculine. For those interested in a little history, masculine Spanish nouns that end in-ta,-pa and-ma tend to come from Greek originally. Composition 2 - 1020 Tema: Vacation plans Imagine you are planning your next vacation with your best friend to a Spanish speaking country or a specific city (assigned by your instructor). For example, to say, 'My brother is an interesting person' in Spanish, you would say Mi hermano es una persona interesante. To put it in simple terms, if youre working with a Spanish masculine noun, you must make sure its modifiers are also masculine. 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. hand From Latin manus (" hand " ). Dijiste que the letters of the alphabet are masculine, pero son feminine, Muchas gracias, Ann! Get to Grips with Spanish: Spanish Grammar for Beginners: Masculine & Feminine, Singular & Plural (English Edition) eBook : Helliwell, Julie: Amazon.nl: Boeken Just like with nouns, Spanish masculine adjectives usually end in the vowel -O like "Bonito" and "Creativo", e.g. That means you have to know when to use El or La for every single noun. Estamos de vacaciones en la Florida ahora mismo. Words that end in -in are feminine nouns, such as religin (religion). 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). El telfono is masculine. 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. My cousins design is not finished. Masculine and Feminine in Spanish (el & la): The Rules & Their Many Exceptions. 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. This semester is really tough. If the noun is masculine and singular, use the masculine, singular ending (usually - o ). But as you already know, there is no such thing as neutral nouns in Spanish. But dont worry, were going to give you a framework to work with. Let's look at the word persona (person) to help explain this idea. Your neighbor is very noisy. In English, you use a form of the verb 'to be' (am, is, are, was, were, etc.) That said, we need to get something out of the way before diving into the rules for gender in Spanish. The food was delicious. All of these expressions, as well as a number of others, have one thing in common. 501 lessons. My students are already speaking Spanish and using it in their everyday lives. There are one hundred chairs available. Browse Spanish translations from Spain, Mexico, or any other Spanish-speaking country. Many nouns that refer to jobs or roles of people can be either masculine or feminine depending on the person they refer to. I desperately need a vacation! I am going to travel to Mexico during summer vacation. Possible excuses include hospitalization. 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. That singer is very talented. 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. As youll see in a moment, most words that end in -a are feminine, but there are exceptions. Feminine nouns have different letters at the end of them than masculine ones. 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. 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). All rights reserved. Got all that? In Spanish, the following nouns are always masculine: (Determiner] +[noun] + [verb conjugated] + [complement]. Add vacation to one of your lists below, or create a new one. All the Spanish nouns ending in cin, -sin, -tad, -tud, -dad or umbre are feminine: There are some Spanish nouns that have the same form for both masculine and feminine. (general) a. pasar las vacaciones (United States) 3. La botella de Suzy est vaca. As established before, when it comes to people, you can usually form the Spanish gender by changing the -o for an -a. is vacation in spanish masculine or feminine. Todava me quedan das de vacaciones antes de que termine el ao. Thinking of them together might help you remember their correct gender. 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. Other nouns that are always feminine are those words that end with -ad or -ed. 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. Men wish that they had been warriors, or are proud that they once were. Collins Complete Spanish Electronic Dictionary HarperCollins Publishers 2011. SpanishDict is the world's most popular Spanish-English dictionary, translation, and learning website. Learn more in the Cambridge English-French Dictionary. More examples: rea (el rea/las reas), aula (el aula/las aulas), guila (el guila/las guilas), etc. This t-shirt is black. Animals With Irregular Masculine And Feminine Forms. Ese rbol es muy viejo. Your voice is so high-pitched. Several Spanish nouns have a masculine and a feminine form, for example, hijo - son and hija - daughter.Another example is mdico - male doctor and mdica - female doctor.. Take Note: When it comes to living things (people and animals), masculine nouns are always used when referring to a mixed group (no matter how many females or males are) or when talking about the group as a whole. All nouns in Spanish have a gender, and are either feminine or masculine. Yet it behaves like a feminine noun. The Verb To Need: Sometimes you Really Need it. Singapore is very expensive. An exception is nene (colloquial term for little kid): el nene -> la nena. There are some rules to determine if a noun is masculine of feminine. Most Spanish nouns ending in -o are masculine, and most ending in -a are feminine, but there are exceptions. Spanish gender can be a challenging topic for many new and advanced learners. As you can see, below that chart, you'll then see the "el" & "la . For these nouns, all you have to do is change the definite article to reflect whether the person in question is male or female. Over time we've worked to perfect every minute of every learning session. You know that people and animals are masculine or feminine, but did you know that nouns in Spanish have gender? Making educational experiences better for everyone. We know that all people have gender, but in Spanish all nouns have gender. In plain English, this book explains the Masculine & Feminine elements of Spanish, plus the rules around Singular & Plural. vacation Noun 1. Here's what's included: Get conjugations, examples, and pronunciations for millions of words and phrases in Spanish and English. The journalist works all day. SpanishDict is the world's most popular Spanish-English dictionary, translation, and learning website. Within the Fluenz team, amongst us who Spanish is our first language we still have numerous discussions onwhether certain words are masculine or feminine. The same thing in the other direction the rules say it should be el, but the word is actually la. Cuntas clases faltan para las vacaciones? Even though Spanish is a language of exceptions, there are a few guidelines that can help when wanting to determine if a noun is feminine or masculine. Do you have any QUESTION or comment about Spanish language? -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 And its true that theres no logical way to divide the world into masculine and feminine. Masculine and Feminine in Spanish (el & la): The Rules & Their Many Exceptions. Which brings us to the only exception to these rules! Now lets see how to know if a word is masculine or feminine in Spanish when talking about people and animals. Plural of Masculine Nouns [edit | edit source]. Most adjectives must agree in gender with the noun they modify. noun uk / veke.n/ us / veke.n/ A1 [ C or U ] US (UK holiday) a time when someone does not go to work or school but is free to do what they want, such as travel or relax vacaciones We're taking a vacation in June. Before a stressed A vowel sound, use EL instead of LA even if the noun is feminine. El diseo de mi prima no est terminado. Mi gatita est enferma. Please check your email and click the link to confirm your subscription - gracias! Janet Long has taught post-secondary Spanish and English for over 15 years. Nouns ending with -a are usually feminine: la mesa, la cama, la casa, la palabra, etc. 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]. For example, we usually say la moto for motorcycle, which ends in an -o. Gender in Spanish: How to know when a noun is feminine or masculine [2022]. So, well cover those exceptions below, too. Qu bonito est tu labial! Yes, when speaking to someone you are familiar with it is t and the verb will end with an 's' such as t quieres. vacation translate: vacances [feminine, plural], vacances [feminine, plural], passer ses vacances, vacances, passer des. On the other hand, when working as nouns, Spanish colors are always masculine. The Spanish gender can be distinguished with certain endings or by checking the gender of the adjectives, pronouns and Spanish articles surrounding that word. My cousin is also smart. What gender is the sea in your mind? This is why despite how difficult it is to learn Spanish, we are confident there is a realistic and achievable path to fluency. by Mgomezhernandez. One ending with a final -a, -ista, can be used on words for male or female people, and is both masculine and feminine. However, things start getting tricky when determining the gender of objects and concepts. This free website is created with love and a great deal of work. Search millions of Spanish-English example sentences from our dictionary, TV shows, and the internet. Feminine forms. by Classroom52. Make sure you pay attention to the exceptions column. document.write(d); La sangre - the blood. The name is thought to have acquired this meaning as communities in the time of Sarah and Abraham thought it to be hysterical that they were to have a child at such an elderly age. In this lesson, we'll look at the differences between masculine and feminine nouns and learn some tips to remember them. 4. And to improve your Spanish even further, book a lesson with me! Miami Beach, FL 33139, All Rights Reserved, 2017-2023. 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. The only exception to the weekly sampling rate occurred between sessions 11 and 12 when the family took a two-week. As a result, depending on the noun, a number can be either feminine or masculine. You cant apply it to plural nouns or that would mean that every word would be masculine. Two examples are doctora (female doctor) and camisa (shirt). In Spanish, all nouns are either masculine or feminine.
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