NOUNS & ARTICLES (Los Sustantivos y Los Artículos)

Definitions Noun—The name of a person, place, or thing. Article—A small word that is linked to a noun and is used to identify the word as a noun but doesn’t describe the noun.

Gender? What does the word gender mean? In humans: Female or Male

Gender and Nouns? In Spanish, every noun has a gender, either masculine or feminine. How can you tell the gender of a noun?

Nouns (Los sustantivos) Many Spanish nouns end in either the letter o or the letter a . Rule #1: Almost all nouns that end in the letter o are masculine. Example: el número

Nouns (Los sustantivos) Rule #2: Almost all nouns that end in the letter a are feminine. Example: la semana

Nouns (Los sustantivos) However, there are exceptions to the rules. Examples: el día el mapa NOTE: These words end in the letter a but are considered masculine words

Nouns (Los sustantivos) What about all the other nouns that neither end in the letter a nor the letter o ? Use the dictionary to determine the gender. Memorize the gender. Always say the noun with the correct article—giving you a clue about its gender.

Articles (Los artículos) In Spanish, there are 2 types of articles: Definite Singular Plural Indefinite Singular

Definite Articles (Los artículos definidos) The English word “the” is called a Definite article because it is used to refer to a definite or specific person, place, or thing. For example: the girl the school

Definite Articles (Los artículos definidos) The Definite Singular articles in Spanish are el and la . El—is used with a masculine singular noun. For example: el pupitre La—is used with a feminine singular noun. For example: la mesa

Examples of Definite Singular Articles Definite Singular Masculine articles: el estante el chicle el dulce Definite Singular Feminine articles: la mesa la pizarra la puerta

Definite Plural Articles (Los artículos definidos plurales) The Definite Plural articles in Spanish are los and las . Los—is used with a masculine plural noun. For example: los bolígrafos Las—is used with a feminine plural noun. For example: las tijeras

Examples of Definite Plural Articles Examples of Definite Plural Masculine articles: los estantes los lapices los dulces Examples of Definite Plural Feminine articles: las mesas las pizarras las puertas

Indefinite Articles (Los artículos indefinidos) The English word “a (an)” is called an Indefinite article because it refers to any person, place or thing. For example: a girl, an apple, a school

Indefinite Singular Articles (Los artículos indefinidos singulares) The Indefinite Singular articles in Spanish are un and una . Un—is used with a masculine singular noun. For example: un maestro Una—is used with a feminine singular noun. For example: una carpeta

Examples of Indefinite Singular Articles Indefinite Singular Masculine articles: un maestro un borrador un dulce Indefinite Singular Feminine articles: una mesa una goma una profesora

Indefinite Plural Articles (Los artículos indefinidos plurales) The Indefinite Plural articles in Spanish are unos and unas (which translate to mean “some” and/or “a few”). Unos—is used with a masculine plural noun. For example: unos dulces Unas—is used with a feminine plural noun. For example: unas maestras

Examples of Indefinite Plural Articles Indefinite Plural Masculine articles: unos calendarios unos legajos unos bolígrafos Indefinite Plural Feminine articles: unas gomas unas mochilas unas sillas