Gender and Number of
Nouns
This is a photo from Tikal, a Guatemalan
national park dedicated to the preservation of
the Tikal ruins left behind by the Mayas. Learn
more about the Maya nation or this incredible
archeological site for extra credit.
The basics
• NOUNS, their articles, and the adjectives that
modify them have grammatical gender and
number (Aka. Masculine/feminine &
singular/plural).
– (*Reminder: A noun is a person, place, thing or idea)
• Animate beings
– Grammatical gender is determined by biological
gender.
• Inanimate beings
– Grammatical gender has no “rhyme or reason.”
• El libro is masculine “just because.”
• La silla is feminine “just because.”
Articles
• There are two types: definite and indefinite.
• They will be masculine or feminine AND singular or plural.
– They MUST match the noun they accompany in gender/#.
• In English, the definite article is “the”
– In Spanish, they are El, La, Los, and Las
• In English, the indefinite articles are “a” and “some”
– In Spanish, they are Un, Una, Unos, and Unas
• The difference is…. Definite articles imply specific
person(s)/place(s)/thing(s), whereas with indefinite
articles, it is much less specific.
– For example:
• Definite – I went to the library to get THE book.
– Here, you have a specific book in mind.
• Indefinite – I went to the library to get A book.
– Here, you do NOT have a specific book in mind.
Masculino-Singular
El
Un
The • Masculine words typically end
A
in -O or in a consonant.
• Words that end in -E are also
usually masculine, but this
guide is not as dependable as
the others.
Masculino-singular: Ejemplos
THE A
¿Por qué?
El
Un
Libro
-O
El
Un
Pupitre
-E
El
Un
Reloj
El
Un
Gimnasio
El
Un
Pizarrón
-consonante
-O
-consonante
Feminino-Singular
La
The • Feminine words typically end in
-A or in –IÓN or -AD.
Una
A
Feminino-singular: Ejemplos
THE A
¿Por qué?
La
Una
Silla
-A
La
Una
Chica
-A
La
Una
Situación
-IÓN
La
Una
Ciudad
-AD
La
Una
Comunidad
-AD
Articles: Masculino-Plural
Los
The
Unos Some
Masculino-plural: Ejemplos
THE SOME
Los
Unos
Libros
To pluralize: Add “S” to
words that end in a
vowel, and “ES” to words
that end in a consonant.
Los
Unos
Pupitres
Los
Unos
Relojes
Los
Unos
Gimnasios
Los
Unos
Pizarrones*
*see next page
Articles: Feminino-Plural
Las
Unas
The
Some
Feminino-plural: Ejemplos
THE SOME
* The accent is dropped
from words with an accent
on the final syllable when
they are pluralized because
the stress naturally falls on
that letter now.
Las
Unas
Sillas
Las
Unas
Chicas
Las
Unas
Situaciones*
Las
Unas
Ciudades
Las
Unas
Comunidades
Excepciones
• Some words go against the “rules” and therefore
must be learned through practice.
– Some masculine words that look feminine:
• El día, el mapa, el matamoscas, el aguafiestas
– Some feminine words that look masculine:
• La tarde, la noche, la clase, la pared
• Words ending in –E or –ISTA do not change based
on gender, but their article does.
– El estudiante vs. la estudiante
– El dentista vs. la dentista
– El artista vs. la artista
Los artículos
Singular
Definidos
There is a DEFINITE
person/place/thing
in mind
Indefinidos
There is NOT a definite
person/place/thing
in mind
Plural
THE:
THE:
El – masc.
La – fem.
Los – masc.
Las – fem.
A:
SOME:
Un – masc.
Una – fem.
Unos – masc.
Unas – fem.
Hay
• Hay means “There is” or “There are”
• It may be used in a question to ask “Is there?”
or “Are there?”
• Hay is usually used with indefinite articles
rather than definite articles.
• Ejemplos
•
•
•
•
Hay una calculadora en mi pupitre.
Hay unos libros en la mesa.
Hay una profesora y unos estudiantes en la clase.
¿Hay comida en la fiesta?
En una mochila hay…
1. Unos
a. Estudiantes
b. sillas
c. libros
d. escritorios
2. Unas
a. Calculadoras b. sillas
c. lápices d. hombres
3. Un
a. Cartera (wallet) b. cajita de tic tacs
c. Teléfono celular d. profesor
4. Una
a. Mujer
c. cuaderno
b. Revista (magazine)
d. Disco compacto
Típicamente, ¿qué hay en un salón de
clases?
1. Un
a. Pupitres
b. chicas
c. libros
d. escritorio
2. Unos
a. estudiantes
b. profesora
c. reloj d. banderas
3. Unas
a. Calculadora b. mochilas c. Libros
d. profesores
4. Una
a. Plumas
b. Diccionarios c. cuaderno d. papelera
Crédito extra
• Print a copy of the SFCC campus map and
label the different places on campus using the
vocabulary that you have learned.
• Use both the
building number
and the name of
the place if it is
something from
our vocab.
– Ej: Edificio 13 –
el estadio