Noun gender basics
Type the missing word in each sentence. You hear each sentence read by a native voice.
libro
the book
The rule
Every Spanish noun belongs to one of two grammatical groups, called masculine and feminine. The group decides which small words go in front of the noun: “el libro” but “la casa”. The grouping is a property of the word itself and has little to do with meaning. Most endings follow a pattern you can learn.
Two words for “the”
Spanish has two common ways to say “the” when talking about one thing: “el” and “la”. Which one you use depends on the word that follows it.
“The book” is “el libro”, and “the house” is “la casa”. These words belong to different grammatical groups, which is why the small word in front changes. Learning that grouping will help you put words together.
What gender means here
A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing or idea. “Book”, “house” and “information” are nouns.
Spanish nouns have a grammatical gender, called masculine or feminine. These names describe how the words behave. A book is not male, and a house is not female.
“Libro” is masculine, so “the book” is “el libro”. “Casa” is feminine, so “the house” is “la casa”. Learn the pair together: it gives you both the word and a reminder of its gender.
A useful first pattern
A noun ending in “-o” is often masculine. A noun ending in “-a” is often feminine. These endings give you a useful starting guess.
| Masculine: “el” | Feminine: “la” |
|---|---|
| “el libro”: the book | “la casa”: the house |
| “el vaso”: the glass | “la mesa”: the table |
Think of a room: “el libro”, “el vaso”, “la mesa”. Instead of remembering three isolated words, you are remembering the little word each one travels with.
When the ending does not tell you
The ending is a clue, not a rule that works every time. “Hand” is “la mano”, even though “mano” ends in “-o”. “Day” is “el día”, even though “día” ends in “-a”.
You do not need to find a hidden reason for every exception. Remember “la mano” and “el día” as pairs, just as you remember “el libro”.
Longer endings can help
Once you know a few pairs, you can use longer endings to recognise more. Read these as useful patterns, not instructions to guess every new word.
| Ending | Group | A pair to remember |
|---|---|---|
| “-ción” | feminine | “la información”: the information |
| “-sión” | feminine | “la decisión”: the decision |
| “-dad” | feminine | “la ciudad”: the city |
| “-tud” | feminine | “la actitud”: the attitude |
| “-aje” | usually masculine | “el viaje”: the trip |
A useful family of masculine words ends in “-ma”: “el problema”, “the problem”; “el tema”, “the topic”; “el sistema”, “the system”; “el programa”, “the programme”; and “el idioma”, “the language”. Other members include “el clima”, “the climate”, and “el drama”, “the drama”.
These words came into Spanish from Greek. You do not need to know their history to use them. Learn the pairs: not every word ending in “-ma” is masculine. “La cama”, “the bed”, is feminine.
A few everyday exceptions
Two common feminine words ending in “-o” are “la foto”, “the photo”, and “la moto”, “the motorbike”. They are shortened from “la fotografía” and “la motocicleta”, and keep the same gender.
Alongside “el día”, remember “el mapa”, “the map”, “el planeta”, “the planet”, “el sofá”, “the sofa”, and “el yoga”, “yoga”. The final letter alone does not settle the choice.
“Radio” has a regional variation. For the device, “la radio” is used in Spain and parts of the Americas; “el radio” is common in much of the Americas. Both are valid. When you mean broadcasting as a medium, the word is feminine: “la radio”.
What to take into practice
Start with the six familiar pairs in the first practice set. The other sets let you work on longer endings and everyday exceptions separately. Every word they ask about appears above with its meaning.
Keep learning the small word with the noun. Later, you will see a few feminine words that take “el” in a particular position, such as “el agua”, “the water”. The articles lesson explains that pattern; it does not change the noun’s gender.