Spanish Grammar - Gender and Articles
Spanish grammar lesson 1: gender and articles (el género y los artículos)
In Spanish, nouns have genders (male/female). When speaking Spanish, you need to know this to be able to communicate correctly. The articles, the words "the" and "a," need to have gender and number (indicate singular or plural), and must agree properly with the noun of the sentence.
"The" = definite articles, singular or plural - el, la, los, las
"A" or "some" = indefinite articles, singular or plural - un, una, unos, unas
Most of the time, we can deduct the gender in a word by looking at the ending of the noun. Usually, masculine nouns end in "o" or "e," and require a masculine article (el, los, un, unos).
Feminine nouns usually end in "a" and require a feminine article (la, las, una, unas).
Consider these examples:
la cabeza (the head); las orejas (the ears)
el hígado (the liver); los labios (the lips)
una inyección (an injection); unas gotas (some drops)
un ojo (an eye); unos días (a few days)
Wait a minute! The word "día" ends in "a." What's going on? And, for that matter, what happens if a noun ends in something different than "o" or "a?"
This is where the grammar piñata comes into play. A grammar piñata is not filled with candy like a regular piñata. It is filled with exceptions to rules, and, alas, there are many. So we might as well just whack it with the bat, and see what else spills out.
Exercise: Read, listen to, and repeat aloud the following examples. See if you can identify what came out of the piñata.
Acueste a la niña sobre la mesa de examen.
(Lay the girl on the examining table.)
Cierre los ojos tres veces lentamente.
(Close the eyes three times slowly.)
Flexione las rodillas y extienda los pies.
(Flex the knees and extend the feet.)
Apoye la mano derecha contra el estante.
(Lean the right hand against the shelf.)
By the way, there are other guidelines. For example, some feminine nouns that begin with "a" will have a male article: el agua (the water). And perhaps you can remember that words ending with "tad," "dad," and "tud" are going to be feminine: la juventud (the youth)
Advice: Try to read and speak in Spanish as much as you can, until you choose the right articles naturally!
Return to List of Spanish Grammar Lessons