1. Gender of Nouns

2. ¡Hola! Me llamo Diego. Your teacher has invited me today to help clarify your doubts when deciding the gender of words . There are some things you should keep in mind when doing so. Let me explain…

3. It’s all about understanding that in Spanish, every noun (person, place or thing) has a gender, and that in Spanish, a noun can be either masculine or feminine.

4. How are all of these masculine nouns alike?
el abogado
el libro
el chico
el baño

5. How are all of these feminine nouns alike?
la casa
la maestra
la chica
la doctora

6. If you look at both the beginning and the ending of each line…
Masculine Nouns generally end in – o Feminine Nouns generally end in – a. el /un diccionario el / un secretario la / una computadora la / una profesora

7. These two words (el, la) are called definite articles.
“el" and "la" both mean "the.“
el chico / the boy
la chica / the girl
These two words (el, la) are called definite articles.

8. One cannot predict the gender of a noun, except in the case of living creatures. Do not try to analyze the nature of the object, looking for some inherent masculinity or femininity.
It won't work!

9. Actually, the word for "dress" is a masculine word:
Take a guess. Do you think the Spanish word for "dress" is masculine or feminine? You might expect it to be feminine, since a dress is an article of clothing worn by females.
Actually, the word for "dress" is a masculine word:
el vestido

10. Actually, the word for "necktie" is a feminine word:
Take another guess. Do you think the Spanish word for "necktie" is masculine or feminine? You might expect it to be masculine, since a necktie is an article of clothing worn by males.
Actually, the word for "necktie" is a feminine word:
la corbata

11. Nouns that end in -sión, -ción, -dad, -tad, & -tud are feminine.
televisión
ciudad
conversación
libertad
actitud

12. Many nouns that end in -ma are masculine. el clima el poema
A few nouns that end in -ma are feminine, such as la cama and la pluma.
Many nouns that end in -ma are masculine.
el clima
el poema
A few nouns that end in -o are feminine.
la mano
Some nouns that end in -a are masculine.
el problema
el dia

13. If a noun ends in a vowel, make it plural by adding -s.
Plural Forms of Nouns
If a noun ends in a vowel, make it plural by adding -s.
señora : señoras
libro : libros
The definite articles (el, la) also change in the plural form. They become "los" and "las."
el libro : los libros
la señora : las señoras

14. If a noun ends in a consonant, make it plural by adding -es.
Plural Forms of Nouns
If a noun ends in a consonant, make it plural by adding -es.
el profesor : los profesores
la ciudad: la ciudades

15. Definite and Indefinite Articles

16. The first sentence speaks of a particular (or definite) cookie:
The difference between definite articles and indefinite articles can be observed in the following two sentences:
Give me the chocolate chip cookie Give me a cookie, please.
The second sentence speaks of any of a number of cookies (or an indefinite cookie):
The first sentence speaks of a particular (or definite) cookie:
Imagine a plate full of cookies. There are peanut butter cookies, sugar cookies, gingerbread cookies, and one chocolate chip cookie.

17. masculine, feminine, singular or plural.
In Spanish, the definite article has 4 forms, depending on whether the noun is…
masculine, feminine, singular or plural.
el chico
la chica
los chicos
las chicas

18. I hope this helped! Tengo que irme. ¡Hasta la vista!