How to Master Masculine and Feminine in Spanish
This post includes:
- Most important grammar rules about gender in Spanish
- Practical exercises to test what you've learned
- Special cases and exceptions
Table of Contents
- Gender in Spanish
- Masculine Nouns in Spanish
- Feminine Nouns in Spanish
- Nouns Ending In -E
4.1 Practical Exercise - Special Cases and Exceptions
5.1 Masculine and Feminine Words
5.2 Shortened Words
5.3 Exceptions
5.4 Nouns with Different Forms for Each Gender
5.5 Nouns with Special Feminine Endings
5.6 Compound Words
5.7 Practical Exercise
5.8 Feminine Words with Masculine Articles - Adjectives: Gender Agreement
6.1 Adjectives That Do Not Change Due to Gender
6.2 Practical Exercise
-Houston, tenemos … ¿un problema?
-Aquí Houston, ¿cuál es el problema?
-¡Exactamente! Ese es mi problema.
-¿Eh?
-Sí. ¿Por qué “el problema” y no “la problema”?
-…
-¿Houston?
You may have often wondered why in Spanish a word is feminine or masculine, just like this poor astronaut. Gender in Spanish is a key aspect to effective communication with native speakers. Using the correct vocabulary with the right gender will help you to avoid potential misunderstandings.
So, if you want to speak Spanish without any problem and learn how to identify the gender of words in Spanish, stay with us and read on. Houston may not have the answer, but we do! 🤭
Gender in Spanish
As a general rule, bear in mind that most words ending in -o are masculine and those ending in -a are feminine.
In addition, another general rule is the following: when the word refers to an animal or person, its gender agrees with that animal or person’s gender. For example:
el niño – la niña
el gato – la gata
el abogado – la abogada
When the noun refers to people or animals ending in a consonant, the feminine is formed by adding -a. See the chart and the video below with some common examples:
Then check out our detailed post about Jobs and Occupations in Spanish, which was prepared for you by our Spanish teachers.
Masculine Nouns in Spanish
There are other general rules that can help you identify masculine nouns more easily.
The following words are always masculine:
El lunes pasado fui a la playa.
– Last Monday I went to the beach.
Agosto no es bueno para viajar a Madrid.
– August is not good for travel to Madrid.
El 2020 fue un año muy complicado.
– 2020 was a very complicated year.
Attention!
👁 The words for “day” (día), “month” (mes) and “year” (año) are also masculine.
El día que nos conocimos estaba muy nerviosa.
– The day we met I was very nervous.
El mes pasado practiqué mucho español.
– Last month I practiced a lot of Spanish.
El año que viene voy a viajar a Perú.
– Next year I am going to travel to Peru.
Check out our detailed blogpost about Days of the Week, Months, and Seasons in Spanish, which was prepared for you by our Spanish teachers.
El Volga es el río más largo de Europa (3.530 km.).
– The Volga is the longest river in Europe (3,530 km).
El Mediterráneo es muy popular para los cruceros que visitan los países del sur de Europa.
– The Mediterranean is very popular for cruisers visiting southern European countries.
No me gusta navegar por el Pacífico, prefiero el Atlántico.
– I don’t like to sail the Pacific, I prefer the Atlantic.
Muchas personas quieren escalar el Everest, pero pocas lo hacen.
– Many people want to climb Everest, but few do it.
Numbers
Mi número de la suerte es el 8.
– My lucky number is 8.
El 33.458 ganó el primer premio de la lotería.
– The 33,458 won the first prize in the lottery.
Vivo en el 45 de la calle Tinieblas.
– I live at 45 Tinieblas Street.
Can you dominate Numbers in Spanish? Or do you need to refresh your knowledge? Check our full post.
El rojo es el color de la pasión.
– Red is the color of passion.
El color favorito de Irene es el azul.
– Irene’s favorite color is blue.
Don’t miss our article about Colors in Spanish! It has some funny videos 😉
Nouns ending in -aje
Pilar, hay un mensaje para ti.
– Pilar, there is a message for you.
El equipaje de la señora Pérez está en la recepción.
– Mrs. Perez’s luggage is at the reception desk.
¿Puedes ver el paisaje desde tu ventana?
– Can you see the landscape from your window?
Nouns ending in -or
No me gusta ese color.
– I don’t like that color.
Prefiero el terror. El cine de amor no me gusta mucho.
– I prefer horror. I don’t like romance movies very much.
Attention!
👁 The noun “flower” (flor) is an exception to this rule:
¿Cómo se llama el flor favorito de Mariela?
¿Cómo se llama la flor favorita de Mariela?
Nouns ending in -ema
Tengo un problema. No comprendo el tema de la clase de hoy.
– I have a problem. I don’t understand the topic of today’s class.
Es un dilema importante. ¿Qué vas a hacer?
– It’s an important dilemma. What are you going to do?
Attention!
👁 The words “cream” (crema) and “headband” (diadema) are feminine: la crema, la diadema
Feminine Nouns in Spanish
There are other general rules that can help you identify feminine nouns more easily.
The following words are always feminine:
La a es la primera letra del abecedario.
– The a is the first letter of the alphabet.
En mi teclado no aparece la eñe (ñ).
– On my keyboard there is no eñe (ñ).
A veces la realidad supera a la ficción.
– Sometimes fact beats fiction.
La verdad es que no sé dónde están las llaves.
– The truth is that I don’t know where the keys are.
El juez negó la libertad provisional al acusado.
– The judge denied bail to the defendant.
Nouns ending in –ción and –sión
Prefiero la ficción. Me encantan las novelas de detectives.
– I prefer fiction. I love detective novels.
La habitación de mi hermana siempre está ordenada.
– My sister’s room is always tidy.
Normalmente veo la televisión los fines de semana.
– I usually watch TV on weekends.
La visión de los gatos por la noche es mejor que la de los humanos.
– The sight of cats at night is better than humans.
Nouns ending in –tud, –umbre and –ez
No me gusta la actitud de Pedro, parece que siempre está enfadado.
– I don’t like Pedro’s attitude, he seems to be always angry.
Nadia llegó a la cumbre del Everest en un tiempo récord.
– Nadia reached the summit of Everest in record time.
La estupidez es la mejor amiga de la ignorancia.
– Stupidity is the best friend of ignorance.
Nouns Ending In -e
Nouns ending in -e can be masculine or feminine:
| ♂ MASCULINO | ♀ FEMENINO |
|---|---|
|
el café |
la carne |
|
el té |
la sangre |
|
el clarinete |
la clase |
|
el estuche |
la muerte |
|
el paquete |
la tarde |
|
el coche |
la gente |
|
el perfume |
la noche |
|
el juguete |
la frase |
Let’s put your knowledge into practice:
Special Cases and Exceptions
Masculine and Feminine Words
-María es taxista y Ramón es… ¿taxisto?
-No, Ramón también es taxista.
Have you ever seen examples like the one above and wondered why? It’s very easy. All words ending in -ista or -ante keep the same form for masculine and feminine, that is, they do not change.
Lionel Messi es futbolista y Wendie Renard es futbolista.
– Lionel Messi is a soccer player and Wendie Renard is a soccer player.
La estudiante china y el estudiante brasileño hicieron el examen por la mañana.
– The Chinese student and the Brazilian student took the exam in the morning.
Shortened Words
Shortened words: la moto, la foto, la tele…
Yo todavía voy al cole, pero mi hermana mayor ya está en la uni.
In Spanish, it is common to shorten certain words when we speak in an informal context to save time, or just because some of the shortened forms are more widely used than their actual form. These shorter versions keep the gender of the original word, regardless of whether the shortening changes the ending. Find the most common examples in the list below:
| ORIGINAL WORD | SHORTENED FORM |
|---|---|
|
el colegio |
el cole |
|
el bolígrafo |
el boli |
|
el supermercado |
el súper |
|
el instituto |
el insti |
|
el policía |
el poli |
|
la universidad |
la uni |
|
la televisión |
la tele |
|
la fotografía |
la foto |
|
la radiodifusión |
la radio |
|
la motocicleta |
la moto |
|
la bicicleta |
la bici |
|
la discoteca |
la disco |
Exceptions
Exceptions: la mano, el mapa,…
Although most words can fit into one of the rules we have discussed so far, there are still some exceptions that can turn out to be a big headache for any non-native speaker of Spanish. In these cases, the best option is to be patient and memorize them together with the correct article. If you try to memorize vocabulary with whole phrases or in its context, it will be easier to remember.
| EXCEPCIONES PARA MASCULINO | EXCEPTIONS FOR MASCULINE |
|---|---|
|
el aula |
classroom |
|
el mapa |
map |
|
el día |
day |
|
el sofá |
sofa |
|
el planeta |
planet |
|
el cometa |
comet |
|
el idioma |
language |
|
el clima |
weather |
|
el tema |
issue/topic |
|
el problema |
problem |
|
el dilema |
dilemma |
|
el tranvía |
tramway |
|
el fantasma |
ghost |
|
el diploma |
diploma |
|
el poema |
poem |
|
el programa |
program |
|
el drama |
drama |
| EXCEPCIONES PARA FEMENINO | EXCEPTIONS FOR FEMININE |
|---|---|
|
la mano |
hand |
|
la radio |
radio |
|
la flor |
flower |
|
la coliflor |
cauliflower |
|
la labor |
labor/work |
Nouns with Different Forms for Each Gender
El baño de hombres está a la izquierda y el de mujeres a la derecha.
In Spanish there are also some special cases where forms for masculine and feminine are completely different. Check the list below to see some of the most common ones:
hombre / marido → mujer
padre → madre
yerno → nuera
vaca → toro
caballo → yegua
padrino → madrina
caballero → dama
Nouns with Special Feminine Endings
In some cases, the feminine form is not a completely different word, but it is just an adaptation of the masculine form with a special ending to make it feminine.
Compound Words
What happens when we combine two words to form a new word? Are there rules for this? Do these words follow the rules we have learned so far? The answer is easier than what you might think: nearly all compound words are masculine. It doesn’t matter whether the original words are feminine or masculine.
abrir + lata → el abrelatas
lavar + vajilla → el lavavajillas
sacar + punta → el sacapuntas
salvar + vida → el salvavidas
cantar + autor → el cantautor
Now put what you’ve learned into practice!
Feminine Words with Masculine Articles
El agua fría no me gusta, prefiero el agua templada.
Why do we say el agua and las aguas? Why do we use a masculine article, but a feminine adjective? Is the word masculine or feminine? Does it have two genders?
Surely you have frequently seen words like agua, hada, aula… and even though they end in -a, they are used with the masculine article (el, un). It may seem a bit confusing, but don’t worry: you will finally understand the reason for this Spanish mystery!
Look at these two examples:
El aula 2 es un poco pequeña, pero las aulas 3 y 4 son grandes.
– Classroom 2 is a bit small, but classrooms 3 and 4 are large.
La arena de la playa está muy caliente.
– The sand on the beach is very hot.
Aula and arena are feminine words beginning with a-, but why is aula used with a masculine article? To understand this, you need to know which is the tonic syllable of the word, that is, the stressed syllable. Take a look:
aula arena
In the case of aula, the tonic syllable is the first syllable (au-) and, in the case of arena, the tonic syllable is the second syllable (-re-). Shall we see another example?
El hada buena le dio a Cenicienta unos zapatos de cristal.
– The good fairy gave Cinderella some glass shoes.
La habitación donde vivía era pequeña.
– The room where she lived was small.
hada habitación
The rule is the following: when a feminine word begins with a stressed a- (a- or ha-), the article used is the masculine one:
la agua → el agua la águila → el águilala hada → el hadala aula → el aulala hacha → el hacha
Attention!
The article is the only word changed into masculine, adjectives are still used in their feminine form: el aula pequeña, el hada buena, etc.
When these words occur in plural, the article remains feminine.
Las aulas de esta escuela son muy espaciosas.
Las águilas que hay en el parque son muy peligrosas.
Adjectives: Gender Agreement
Martina tiene un loro viejo y una gata vieja.
– Martina has an old parrot and an old cat.
Dolores conoce a un hombre argentino que es muy interesante.
– Dolores knows an Argentinean man who is very interesting.
Unlike English, Spanish does have gender for adjectives. In general, adjectives in Spanish follow the same rules already seen for nouns or names. It is important to bear in mind that adjective gender depends on the noun. Look at the following examples:
I don't like white T-shirt.
I prefer the short dress.
Attention!
When we refer to a person, adjectives have the same gender as the person we are referring to.
Gregor: Yo soy ingeniero y soy ruso. Mi prima es profesora y es francesa.
Marta: ¿Ah, sí? ¿Eres ingeniero industrial o ingeniero electrónico?
Gregor: No, soy ingeniero aeroespacial. ¿Y tú?
Marta: Yo soy ingeniera electrónica y soy peruana.
Adjectives That Do Not Change Due to Gender
María es muy amable y su amigo Rubén es un poco pesimista.
As with nouns, there are also adjectives that do not vary from masculine to feminine because they have only one form. These are:
Responsable, amable, agradable, desagradable, imperdonable…
Martina no es muy responsable, pero su hermano sí es responsable.
– Martina is not very responsible, but her brother is responsible.
Julián me hizo una cosa imperdonable.
– Julian did something unforgivable to me.
Belga, croata, idiota, ególatra, hipócrita…
Tu amigo croata es un poco hipócrita, ¿no?
– Your Croatian friend is a bit of a hypocrite, isn’t he?
Adjectives ending in -e:
Fuerte, elegante, urgente, paciente, impaciente…
Marcos es muy paciente y su ropa es muy elegante.
– Marcos is very patient and his clothes are very elegant.
Egoísta, optimista, pesimista, idealista, capitalista…
Vivimos en una sociedad capitalista.
– We live in a capitalist society.
Sebastián es un chico muy idealista.
– Sebastian is a very idealistic boy.
Baladí, marroquí, iraní, cursi…
Fátima es marroquí y su primo es iraní.
– Fatima is Moroccan and her cousin is Iranian.
Esa película es un poco cursi.
– That movie is a bit cheesy.
Hindú, zulú, batú.
Ayer vi un documental de un pueblo zulú.
– Yesterday I saw a documentary of a Zulu village.
Ganesha es una diosa hindú.
– Ganesha is a Hindu goddess.
Puntual, personal, fundamental, espiritual, accidental…
La estudiante suiza es puntual, pero su compañero Klaus es impuntual.
– The Swiss student is punctual, but her classmate Klaus is unpunctual.
La concordancia es un tema fundamental para hablar español correctamente.
– Concordance is a fundamental issue in order to speak Spanish correctly.
Attention!
Adjectives that denote origin/place do change: español – española
Lila, naranja, malva, gris, azul, marrón, carmesí…
El pantalón lila me queda un poco pequeño.
– The lilac pants are a little small on me.
La habitación gris no me gusta.
– I don’t like the gray room.
Any questions? We hope that now you can master Masculine and Feminine in Spanish 💪🏽
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