Spanish grammar · Beginner (A1)
Nouns: gender and plural
Every Spanish noun is masculine or feminine. Learn the patterns that tell you which, and how to make nouns plural.
Masculine or feminine
A “noun” is a word for a person, thing or idea. Every Spanish noun has a gender: it is masculine or feminine. For things, the gender is just grammar and has nothing to do with meaning.
The ending is often a good clue. Most nouns ending in -o are masculine and most ending in -a are feminine. Nouns ending in -ción, -sión, -dad and -tad are feminine. Nouns ending in -e or a consonant can be either, so learn them with the article.
| Usually masculine | Usually feminine |
|---|---|
| -o: , | -a: , |
| -or: , | -ción, -sión: , |
| -aje: , | -dad, -tad: , |
- el cochethe car (masculine)
- la callethe street (feminine)
Common exceptions
A few very common nouns break the pattern. (hand), and are feminine even though they end in -o. (day), , (language) and are masculine even though they end in -a.
- Buenos días.Good morning.
- No hay problema.No problem.
- Tengo la mano fría.My hand is cold.
People: two forms
For many people and animals there is a masculine and a feminine form. Change -o to -a, or add -a after a consonant. Some words ending in -e or -ista stay the same and only the article changes.
| Masculine | Feminine | English |
|---|---|---|
| friend | ||
| teacher | ||
| student | ||
| journalist |
Making the plural
If the noun ends in a vowel, add -s. If it ends in a consonant, add -es. A final -z becomes -ces. Some words lose or gain a written accent in the plural so that the stress stays in the same place: , .
A group of men and women uses the masculine plural: can mean “my brothers” or “my brothers and sisters”.
| Ending | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| vowel: add -s | ||
| consonant: add -es | ||
| -z: change to -ces | ||
| -ción: add -es, drop the accent |
- Tengo dos hermanos.I have two brothers (or a brother and a sister).
- Los padres de Ana viven en Toledo.Ana's parents live in Toledo.