GENDER, ARTICLES, & AGREEMENT
(and a note on making nouns plural)
All nouns in Spanish have gender. They are either
masculine or feminine. Masculine nouns generally end in
“o” and feminine nouns generally end in “a”. As a result,
all the articles, both definite and indefinite, must agree with
the noun they accompany in both number and gender.
Although this feature has disappeared from English, it is
extraordinarily important in Spanish. Native speakers of
the language do appreciate it when you respect the gender
of a noun.
In English, the DEFINITE ARTICLE is confined to one word:
“THE.” In Spanish, this is not the case. If the noun is
singular, the appropriate singular masculine article is “el”
(without the accent; with an accent it means “he” and
becomes the third person subject pronoun). If the noun is
feminine, the appropriate singular feminine definite article
is “la”. For the plural, simply add an “S” to these singular
articles and make the noun plural as well. For example:
el libro (the book) → los libros (the books)
la muchacha (the girl) → las muchachas (the girls)
In English, the INDEFINITE ARTICLE is “a” or “an”: a
book, an eon of time. In Spanish, once again the gender is
important. If the noun is singular, the appropriate singular
masculine indefinite article is “un,” as in “un libro” (a book,
and, when counting, one book—just to confuse the issue!).
If the noun is feminine, the appropriate singular feminine
indefinite article is “una.” For the plural, just as with the
definite articles, just add an “S” to these singular forms and
make the noun plural as well. For example:
un libro (a book) → unos libros (some books)
una muchacha (a girl) → unas muchachas (some
girls)
A NOTE ON MAKING NOUNS PLURAL:
Nouns that end in a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) just add an “s” ►
(los/unos) libros OR (las/unas) muchachas.
Nouns that end in a consonant add “es” to the singular form ►
(los/unos) papeles OR (las/unas) universidades.
Nouns that end in “z” will change the “z” to “c” in the plural ►
el/un lápiz (pencil) in the singular becomes los/unos lápices.