Spanish Nouns Gender and Articles

Feminine Nouns Words that refer to females Words that refer to females Most words that end in –a Most words that end in –a Most words that end in –ción, sión, tad, dad, Most words that end in –ción, sión, tad, dad, -umbre -umbreExamples señora, niña, mujer, madre, estudiante silla, ventana, mesa, pluma conversación, libertad, costumbre Exception: mano

Masculine Nouns Words that refer to males Words that refer to males Most words that end in –o Most words that end in –o Most words that come from Greek that end in – ma, Most words that come from Greek that end in – ma, -pa, and -ta -pa, and -taExamples señor, niño, padre, hermano, estudiante perro, carro, cuaderno, libro drama, mapa, planeta Exception: día

Exceptions to the Rule Feminine Nouns Feminine Nouns flor (flower) luz (light) pared (wall) llave (key) Masculine Nouns Masculine Nouns pupitre (desk) reloj (clock) árbol (tree) papel (paper) lápiz (pencil) borrador (eraser)

Articles Definite articles Definite articles equivalent to the equivalent to the Used when you are talking about a specific noun or group of nouns Used when you are talking about a specific noun or group of nouns 1. el (singular masculine) ex. el niño 2. la (singular feminine) ex. la niña 3. los (Plural masculine) ex. los niños 4. las (Plural feminine) ex. las niñas

Articles Indefinite articles Indefinite articles equivalent to a, an, or some equivalent to a, an, or some Used when you are not talking about a specific noun or group of nouns Used when you are not talking about a specific noun or group of nouns 1. un (singular masculine) ex. un niño 2. una (singular feminine) ex. una niña 3. unos (plural masculine) ex. unos niños 4. unas (plural feminine) ex. unas niñas

Plural Nouns Plural articles are used before plural nouns. Plural articles end in –s. Plural Definite Articles los and las los and las Plural Indefinite Articles unos and unas unos and unas

Plural Nouns If a noun ends with a vowel, add –s If a noun ends with a vowel, add –s Example: el cuaderno – los cuadernos Example: el cuaderno – los cuadernos If a noun ends with a consonant, add –es If a noun ends with a consonant, add –es Example: el pizarrón – los pizarrones Example: el pizarrón – los pizarrones If a noun ends with z, change it to c and add –es If a noun ends with z, change it to c and add –es Example: el lapiz – los lapices Example: el lapiz – los lapices If a noun ends with es or is, it does not change in the plural. If a noun ends with es or is, it does not change in the plural. Example: el lunes – los lunes Example: el lunes – los lunes