Spanish Grammar Bank
SPANISH GENDER RULES
In Spanish, words have gender. The word género (gender) in broad terms refers to a group of beings or objects classified by a set of common characteristics and class or style.
Used in a grammatical context, it refers to a property of nouns (and some pronouns) by which they are classified either as masculine or feminine.
GENDER OF NOUNS
Nouns in Spanish can either be masculine or feminine.
When the noun refers to a living being, it is common for there to be a specific form assigned to each grammatical gender corresponding to their biological distinction.
This differentiation is generally done by adding gender-specific suffixes to the same root.
When the noun refers to an inanimate object, generally the object is either only masculine or only feminine.
PATTERN
Most masculine nouns end in -o
Most feminine nouns end in -a
| Masculine | Feminine | |
|---|---|---|
| masculine nouns ending in -o and feminine ending in -a (for animate beings) |
el ingeniero
the male engineer |
la ingeniera
the female engineer |
|
el niño
the boy |
la niña
the girl | |
|
el profesor
the male teacher |
la profesora
the female teacher | |
|
el gato
the male cat |
la gata the female has-text-align-center data-align="center">[speak el arquitecto the male architect |
la arquitecta
the female architect |
|
el enfermero
the male nurse |
la enfermera
the female nurse |
| Masculine | Feminine | |
|---|---|---|
| Nouns with a single form referring to inanimate objects |
el libro
book | |
|
el cuadro
painting | ||
|
el suelo
floor | ||
|
la casa
house | ||
|
la mesa
table | ||
|
la puerta
door |
GENDER AGREEMENT RULE
The grammatical gender agreement rule mandates that there must be an agreement in gender and number between the noun and the adjectives, articles, and pronouns that they modify.
Meaning, that there must be a coincidence in number and gender between the noun and the adjectives, articles, and pronouns that accompany said noun in a given phrase.
RULES
Article agreement:
Pronoun agreement:
ADJECTIVES AGREEMENT
Adjectives must agree in gender and in number with the noun that they modify.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| La paloma blanca | The white dove |
| El brazo izquierdo | The left arm |
| Las verduras rojas | The red vegetables |
| Los pantalones negros | The black pants |
| El libro viejo | The old book |
| La mesa redonda | The round table |
ARTICLE AGREEMENT
Articles must agree with the gender and number of the noun they accompany.
| SPANISH | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| el chico | the boy |
| la cama | the bed |
| los libros | the books |
| las cortinas | the curtains |
| el zapato | the shoe |
| la silla | the chair |
PRONOUN AGREEMENT
Pronouns must agree in gender with the noun they modify.
| Ella es una gran amiga. | She is a great friend. |
| Él es un buen empleado. | He is a good employee. |
| Nosotros somos europeos. | We are European. |
| Tú eres buen cocinero. | You are a good cook. |
| Ellas son sus hijas. | They are her daughters. |
| Ellos eran mis alumnos. | They were my students. |
EXCEPTIONS
Although many nouns in Spanish follow the general grammatical pattern for gender (masculine ending in -o and feminine ending in -a), there are significant exceptions to consider.
For instance, some nouns that end in -a are classified as masculine and others ending in -a are considered masculine.
Other nouns have a single form, irrespective of their grammatical gender.
These are the main exceptions to consider in the grammatical use of gender in Spanish:
1. Some masculine nouns end in -a and some feminine nouns end in -o
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|
|
el día
the day | |
|
el agua
the water | |
|
el problema
the problem | |
|
la mano
the hand | |
|
la radio
the radio | |
|
la moto
the motorbike |
2. Some nouns referring to animate beings have a single form for both grammatical genders
Some nouns, referring to animate beings, have a single form that is used to refer to both grammatical genders, and to distinguish each gender, the articles el/la or the corresponding adjectives are used.
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|
|
el periodista
the male journalist |
la periodista
the female journalist |
|
el artista
the male artist |
la artista
the female artist |
|
el estudiante
the male student |
la artista
the female student |
|
un buen profesional
a good male professional |
una buen profesional
a good female professional |
|
el pianista
the male pianist |
la pianista
the female pianist |
|
el dentista
the male dentist |
la dentista
the female dentist |
3. Exception where some nouns referring to animate beings have a single form only, irrespective of their grammatical gender
Some nouns referring to animate beings have a single form (either masculine or feminine), irrespective of their grammatical gender.
What helps distinguish their gender is the use of accompanying words such macho (male) or hembra (female).
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|
|
el tiburón
the shark | |
|
el personaje
the character | |
|
el pez
the fish | |
|
la persona
the person | |
|
la víctima
the victim | |
|
la hormiga
the ant |
4. Exception where some nouns referring to inanimate objects have a single form only
Some nouns referring to inanimate objects have a single form, either the object is only masculine or only feminine.
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|
|
el libro
the book | |
|
el cuadro
the painting | |
|
el suelo
the floor | |
|
la casa
the house | |
|
la mesa
the table | |
|
la puerta
the door |
5. Exception of ambiguous nouns that admit the use of either gender without changing the meaning of the word
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|
|
el mar
the sea |
la mar
the sea |
|
el vodka
the vodka |
la vodka
the vodka |
|
el calor
the heat |
la calor
the heat |
|
el coma
the comma |
la coma
the comma |
|
el señal
the sign |
la señal
the sign |
|
el azucar
the sugar |
la azucar
the sugar |
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FAQs
How many grammatical genders in Spanish?
Spanish has two grammatical genders: masculine and feminine.
How to tell if a noun is masculine or feminine?
In general, nouns ending in -o are masculine, and those ending in -a are feminine, though there are many exceptions.
Are there any exceptions to the gender rules?
Yes, some nouns that end in -a are masculine (e.g., el día – “the day”), and some nouns that end in -o are feminine (e.g., la mano – “the hand”).
Do adjectives change based on gender?
Yes, adjectives must agree with the gender of the noun they describe, usually ending in -o for masculine nouns and -a for feminine nouns.
What happens with nouns that refer to people?
Many nouns that refer to people have both masculine and feminine forms, such as amigo (male friend) and amiga (female friend), but some are gender-neutral and stay the same regardless of gender, like estudiante (student).
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