Sometimes the word just breaks the rules, and we have to memorize that they are different, such as la mano (hand). El ao que viene voy a tomarme unas vacaciones en Europa. La verdad puede ser dolorosa. In those cases, you can always look it up on a dictionary, such as the Diccionario de la Lengua Espaola. Also, notice that there are masculine nouns that end in -l, -z, and -n. I would recommend you learn the following by heart. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol). As you can see, below that chart, youll then see the el & la exceptions for Spanish words. For these nouns, all you have to do is change the definite article to reflect whether the person in question is male or female. La periodista es muy insistente. One mnemonic device for learning masculine endings is LONERS. The wall is newly painted. Passive Voice in Spanish: Examples & Practice, Psychological Research & Experimental Design, All Teacher Certification Test Prep Courses, What are Cognates in Spanish? Im always glad to reach and help more people around the world. endings to determine the gender of a word in Spanish. The journalist is very persistent. What Gender Is The Sea? | The Boston Language Institute Fluenz Fluenz Blog Learn Spanish Basic Spanish El or La? While some of these exceptions just have to be memorized, you can scroll up and see that a lot of exceptions have their own rules in the-ta, -ma and-pasection. For these types of cases, there are certain guidelines that can give you a better idea of how Spanish gender is formed. We know that a person can be a man or a woman. But really, the LONERS rule will work for you almost every time. Not only in Spanish, but also in other Romance and non-Romance languages, such as German and Russian. Masculine and Feminine in Spanish (el & la): The Rules & Their Many Exceptions. Below youll find a list of words and be able to find out for yourself if it is masculine (el) or feminine (la). Fish are very pretty. 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 . . What gender is the sea in your mind? Follow this link if you want to know WHY nouns have a gender in Spanish. As youll see in a moment, most words that end in -a are feminine, but there are exceptions. Words that end in -in are feminine nouns, such as religin (religion). 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]. Spanish Survival Kit: Asking for Directions [2022]. If you have the word for friend, it refers to a person correct? And of course, they are all derived from the isms of the previous rule. 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. The Verb To Need: Sometimes you Really Need it. The man sneezed.). This means that every time you use a noun, you must express whether its a feminine or masculine word. However, there are certain words whose endings are unalterable. For instance, when the word for a person or occupation ends in -e. When occupations end in -a it gets messy. Irregular Nouns in Spanish: +60 Irregular Gender Nouns If the noun is plural and feminine, then use the plural, feminine ending (usually - las ). vacacin ( bah - kah - syohn ) feminine noun 1. Los peces son muy bonitos. Get a Step-by-Step Map to Learning Spanish. 33 chapters | These apples are very sour. 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. There is one other ending that ends in -a, -ista, that is actually both feminine and masculine. I have an extra pen. The following Spanish nouns all denote living creatures. vacation translate: vacances [feminine, plural], vacances [feminine, plural], passer ses vacances, vacances, passer des. 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. The Spanish gender can be distinguished with certain endings or by checking the gender of the adjectives, pronouns and Spanish articles surrounding that word. b. holiday (United Kingdom) Ests muy estresado; necesitas irte de vacaciones.You are too stressed out; you should go on holiday. Dolphins are adorable. The opposite time of day, la noche (night), is feminine, so you can think of them as a pair. Because aguas is plural in the second example, the s on the end of the article las breaks up the stressed a in aguas. The kids play in the park. La mesera descansa los jueves. [Determiner] + [noun] + [verb conjugated] + [adjective]. 250 words that are the same in English and Spanish, Spanish words that are similar to English words, its not really incorrect to use the feminine form. For example, to say, 'My brother is an interesting person' in Spanish, you would say Mi hermano es una persona interesante. Centre universitaire de sant McGill | McGill University Health Centre Most masculine nouns end in -o, like hermano, meaning 'brother' and most feminine nouns end in -a, like hermana, meaning 'sister'. Ese color es bonito. The dentists are very young. Therefore, "red" is "rojo" but it becomes "roja" with a. (2020,May 08 ). Colours in Spanish. So with people you may not know well, perhaps someone older, or people of authority/higher status than oneself such as a college professor. *Note: la moto and la foto are a shortened version of the feminine words motocicleta and fotografa. 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. Access millions of accurate translations written by our team of experienced English-Spanish translators. Copyright 2006 Harrap Publishers Limited. Masculine and feminine in Spanish: the definitive guide! La noche - the night. hand From Latin manus (" hand " ). We can check this by going to the plural and to its modifiers: The waters = las aguas" The water is cold = "El agua est fria." Talking about people, especially family members, often includes referring to gender. 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. I hope you find what youre looking for here during your journey into Espaol . (university) (United Kingdom) a. la vacaciones (F) to take a vacation tomarse unas vacaciones intransitive verb 2. Is vacation feminine or masculine in Spanish? Singapur es muy caro. Soy Daniela Sanchez, Ive taught Spanish in Mexico to a wide array of foreigners. The same goes for some words that end in -o that are actually feminine: la mano, la radio, la foto, etc. 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. We only say "el agua" only because it's smoother to pronounce than "la aqua." Period. Janet Long has taught post-secondary Spanish and English for over 15 years. When My Masculine Met My Feminine | Tijana Tamburic | TEDxBucharest Conseiller(re) aux ventes Corbeil lectromnager recherche une personne qui aime offrir aux clients une exprience de magasinage remarquable et qui a un bon sens de l'analyse des besoins. I feel like its a lifeline. What Mono means? Otherwise, it would sound like laaagua. This discussion is especially alive with occupations. As you can see, there are adjectives that follow the regular rule for endings using -o/-as/-os/-as (rojo, amarillo, negro, blanco, morado). More often than not, the endings change according to the gender of the person or animal: Sometimes only the article changes. We would say El mdicO, La mdicO. Be aware that these guidelines are not set in stone, and there are some exceptions that youll need to memorize. 1. Uruguay is very pretty. As you may already know, most masculine words in Spanish end with -o. In this lesson, we'll look at the differences between masculine and feminine nouns and learn some tips to remember them. It's a good place to start for beginners though! Gender of Nouns - StudySpanish.com Nouns ending in o are usually masculine, and nouns ending in a are usually feminine. For example, we usually say la moto for motorcycle, which ends in an -o. Copyright (c) Minerva Webworks LLC All Rights Reserved. Here are the common endings for feminine words: The ending -a is usually feminine, just like -o is masculine. So, if you put a . . Feminine Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster Words ending simply in -inare often masculine, as in: el camin, el avin, etc., so bear that in mind! The picture identification task consisted of a booklet (which subjects read), containing a story about two characters preparing to go on, For example, the domain order for choosing the destination of a. Take the Spanish words for "colour" and "tooth": el color, el diente. La disco is short for la discoteca, andla foto is short forla fotografa. (m) means that a noun is masculine. Some examples are hijo (son), zapato (shoe) and mono (monkey). * These words are shortened from words that do end in A: discoteca, fotografa, motocicleta, pornografa, and radiodifusin. LinguaLinkup.com 2023. However, on top of its irregularities, this verb also has E to I and E to IE stem changes in certain tenses. Love, Poverty And War: Journeys And Essays [PDF] [5qkamljh8p80] - Vdoc.pub 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! These nouns keep the same spelling, regardless of gender a fact that cuts down the number of words you have to memorize to speak and write Spanish like a native. trabajador - Wiktionary Because coming from English you dont have any reference to hold on to, sometimes our memory can only recall so much and we mix up the gender. During the day Im a freelancer and marketer, while at night Im here writing for students of the world wide web looking to learn Spanish. el clima (the weather) 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. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. (= Is the water cold or lukewarm?). Before a stressed A vowel sound, use EL instead of LA even if the noun is feminine. The mechanic works every day. Words ending in -ed (if the stress falls on this syllable). The bull is very aggressive, and the cow is very calm. Names of lakes, oceans, seas, and rivers. Despite the many exceptions noted above, a great majority of Spanish words that end in-a are feminine. The word in the example sentence does not match the entry word. Spanish speakers always like to have vacations in plural. One of the biggest exceptions to the LONERS rule we talked about for masculine nouns above is-in. Learn all about the Spanish gender roles below - Feminine (la) vs Masculine (el). More examples: rea (el rea/las reas), aula (el aula/las aulas), guila (el guila/las guilas), etc. Access millions of accurate translations written by our team of experienced English-Spanish translators. In Spanish, all nouns have a gender. 2. Men wish that they had been warriors, or are proud that they once were. I want a coffee, please. Plural of Masculine Nouns [edit | edit source]. This is because in English, living creatures often have different names, depending upon whether they are male or female. Just like with nouns, Spanish masculine adjectives usually end in the vowel -O like "Bonito" and "Creativo", e.g. In the sections below, youll find tables with the most common endings for masculine words in Spanish. Spanish Expressions That Use Tener - Video & Lesson Transcript - Study.com You know that people and animals are masculine or feminine, but did you know that nouns in Spanish have gender? In Spanish nationalities are expressed through origin adjectives (known as gentilicios in Spanish). There are three genders in Spanish: masculine, feminine, and neutral. Again, there is no real reason. This rule is only applicable to the following numbers: Tengo doscientos pesos. LONERS - words that end with any of the letters in LONERS are usually masculine. Mi padres pasaron las vacaciones de Semana Santa en Argentina. As you can see, most of them are nouns used to describe a persons profession or occupation: And here are some examples of what you can do to mark the gender of these words: [Masculine or feminine determiner] + [noun]+ (adjective). In fact, a few masculine words also end with this vowel. As a result, depending on the noun, a number can be either feminine or masculine. Spanish gender is a complex topic. Los dentistas estn muy jvenes. We said words that end in -or are masculine. El plato es blanco con rayas azules. "Masculine and Feminine in Spanish (el & la): The Rules & Their Many Exceptions." Tu casa es grande y bonita. Spanish Language Dictations Level Beginner #001. Learn more in the Cambridge English-French Dictionary. (f) means that a noun is feminine. Now lets check out the tricks for masculine nouns in Spanish. Yet it behaves like a feminine noun. My mom has a cherry tree. Lingua Linkup. He made the wrong decision. La sangre - the blood. Its the same for words ending with -a: el/la espa, el/la polica, el/la gua. Everything weve ever written about Spanish, all in one place. Necesito un respiro de mi familia despus de la reunin. Masculine and Feminine in Spanish (el & la): The Rules & Their Many Exceptions. Also, in plural they keep the feminine definite article (las), because the S avoids the cacophony: las aguas. La mochila roja me gusta ms. Nuestros perros son pequeos. I have two hundred pesos. 'pa pdd chac-sb tc-bd bw hbr-20 hbss lpt-25' : 'hdn'">. With these rules below, youll know which to use with every word el or la. The food was delicious. But fortunately, Spanish grammatical gender does have some rules you can follow to figure out when you needel and when you needla. vacation translate: vacances [feminine, plural], vacances [feminine, plural], passer ses vacances, vacances, passer des. A noun is a word referring to a person, animal, place, thing, feeling or idea (e.g. Venir is an irregular verb in Spanish. up when learning new vocab because they had learned this rule of thumb. Yes, when speaking to someone you are familiar with it is t and the verb will end with an 's' such as t quieres. It is usually at the end of words that describe people, like artista (artist) and realista (realist). Feminine or masculine? You will need to memorize rule-breaking words like la mano (hand) and el d'ia (day). Nouns ending in -o, an accented vowel, -or, or -aje are usually masculine. Ests muy estresado; necesitas irte de vacaciones. But for example to most of us the word mdicAsounds wrong- we wouldnt use it. In Spanish, all nouns are either masculine or feminine. While this is actually true for a lot of words, there are so many exceptions to this rule that it often becomes more of a problem than a solution. However, things start getting tricky when determining the gender of objects and concepts. Names of rivers, lakes, and oceans are usually masculine; names of mountains are usually feminine. This attribute allows us to classify words as either masculine or feminine. His shoes are very expensive. . Feminine nouns that end in -o * These words are shortened from words that do end in A: discoteca, fotografa, motocicleta, pornografa, and radiodifusin. Gender of Spanish Nouns - Spanish Language Nationalities in Spanish - Light On Spanish Click on the arrows to change the translation direction. coming up later. Fast, easy, reliable language certification, 35,000+ worksheets, games, and lesson plans. Within the Fluenz team, amongst us who Spanish is our first language we still have numerous discussions onwhether certain words are masculine or feminine. Conseiller(re) la vente - Sales Associate (Ottawa Gloucester) Gender in Spanish: How to know when a noun is feminine or masculine