🚻 Noun Gender
Every Spanish noun has a grammatical gender: masculine or feminine. Gender does not usually describe whether something is male or female. Instead, it determines which articles and adjectives are used with the noun. Learning common patterns will help you guess the gender of many new words.
🟢 Common Gender Patterns
🔵 Usually Masculine
Many nouns ending in -o, -or, and -aje are masculine.
Examples:
📘 libro
👟 zapato
💌 mensaje
Many nouns ending in -o, -or, and -aje are masculine.
Examples:
📘 libro
👟 zapato
💌 mensaje
🟣 Usually Feminine
Many nouns ending in -a, -ción, -sión, and -dad are feminine.
Examples:
🏠 casa
🎵 canción
🎓 universidad
Many nouns ending in -a, -ción, -sión, and -dad are feminine.
Examples:
🏠 casa
🎵 canción
🎓 universidad
⚪ Words Ending in -e
Nouns ending in -e can be either masculine or feminine, so they usually need to be memorized.
Examples:
👨 estudiante
🔑 llave
Nouns ending in -e can be either masculine or feminine, so they usually need to be memorized.
Examples:
👨 estudiante
🔑 llave
🟡 Common Exceptions
✋ La mano
Hand (feminine)
Hand (feminine)
☀️ El día
Day (masculine)
Day (masculine)
🗺️ El mapa
Map (masculine)
Map (masculine)
⚠️ El problema
Problem (masculine)
Problem (masculine)
📷 La foto
Photo (feminine)
Photo (feminine)
🏍️ La moto
Motorcycle (feminine)
Motorcycle (feminine)
🔵 People and Changing Gender
👨 Masculine
Profesor
Amigo
Niño
Profesor
Amigo
Niño
👩 Feminine
Profesora
Amiga
Niña
Profesora
Amiga
Niña
💡 Remember
People and animals often change gender.
Most objects do not change gender.
La mesa is always feminine.
El libro is always masculine.
People and animals often change gender.
Most objects do not change gender.
La mesa is always feminine.
El libro is always masculine.
🧠 Useful Grammar
Articles Must Agree
Use the correct article with every noun.
El libro
La casa
Los libros
Las casas
Use the correct article with every noun.
El libro
La casa
Los libros
Las casas
Adjectives Usually Agree
Many adjectives change to match the noun's gender and number.
El libro rojo.
La casa roja.
Los libros rojos.
Las casas rojas.
Many adjectives change to match the noun's gender and number.
El libro rojo.
La casa roja.
Los libros rojos.
Las casas rojas.
Learn Nouns with Their Article
Instead of memorizing only the noun, memorize it together with its article.
el libro
la mesa
el problema
Instead of memorizing only the noun, memorize it together with its article.
el libro
la mesa
el problema
⚠️ Common Beginner Mistakes
❌ El casa
✅ La casa
✅ La casa
❌ La problema
✅ El problema
✅ El problema
❌ El mano
✅ La mano
✅ La mano
❌ Libro roja
✅ Libro rojo
✅ Libro rojo
❓ Useful Questions
¿Es masculino o femenino?
Is it masculine or feminine?
Is it masculine or feminine?
¿Cómo se dice "table" en español?
How do you say "table" in Spanish?
How do you say "table" in Spanish?
¿Qué significa esta palabra?
What does this word mean?
What does this word mean?
¿Cómo se escribe?
How do you spell it?
How do you spell it?
💬 Everyday Conversation
Learning New Words
A: ¿"Problema" es masculino o femenino?
B: Es masculino. Se dice el problema.
A: ¿Y "mano"?
B: Es femenina. Se dice la mano.
A: Is "problema" masculine or feminine?
B: It's masculine. You say el problema.
A: And "mano"?
B: It's feminine. You say la mano.
A: ¿"Problema" es masculino o femenino?
B: Es masculino. Se dice el problema.
A: ¿Y "mano"?
B: Es femenina. Se dice la mano.
A: Is "problema" masculine or feminine?
B: It's masculine. You say el problema.
A: And "mano"?
B: It's feminine. You say la mano.
📝 Example Sentences
🗺️ El mapa está en la pared.
The map is on the wall.
The map is on the wall.
✋ La mano está limpia.
The hand is clean.
The hand is clean.
🎓 La universidad es grande.
The university is large.
The university is large.
⚠️ El problema es difícil.
The problem is difficult.
The problem is difficult.
🏆 Final Practice
Say the correct article before pressing play.
- Libro → el libro
- Casa → la casa
- Problema → el problema
- Mano → la mano
- Universidad → la universidad
- Mensaje → el mensaje