If the adjective only has one form, it doesn’t give you any more information. For example: alemán / alemana (“German” ) and francés / francesa (“French” ). Instead, we use gendered articles for this. An o ending can indicate that a person or animal is male or that an object, idea, etc. We covered “o” above because it really requires its own section, but this is a good general rule of thumb. As we’ve mentioned, nouns dictate the gender of everything that surrounds them, so we need to know what gender a noun is before we know what article or adjective we want to use next to it. The masculine form is the one that appears on a dictionary. Exceptions to the a-is-feminine-o-is-masculine rule fall into six categories: Here are the most common words violating the a/o rule, although there are dozens of others: Most words that refer to people's jobs or roles, many ending in -ista or -eta, that can be either masculine or feminine are not listed above. For example, artista means “artist” and it refers to both men and women. Dijiste que the letters of the alphabet are masculine, pero son feminine, Muchas gracias, Anón! Les gusta irse de vacaciones a las Bahamas. Fast, easy, reliable language certification, 35,000+ worksheets, games, and lesson plans. As we mentioned previously, this topic mostly revolves around nouns. Different connotations for feminine vs masculine words? : r/Spanish When there’s a group of mixed gender, no matter what the ratio of females-to-males and males-to-females is, the group is always referred to as masculine. Of course, there are thousands of nouns out, which can make memorizing their genders seem impossible. Yet, when exactly is Ap... Spanish Resources, Learn Gender in Spanish: Spanish Gender Rules, There are many languages that use genders. Lessons for Adults & Kids. El cura — the priest Why Do Words Have Gender? - Duolingo Blog However, gender is a little bit different. Is vacation masculine or feminine in Spanish? 0 && stateHdr.searchDesk ? Words that are a shorter form of another word or of a phrase retain the gender of the longer word or of the main noun in the phrase. Here are the four forms este can take in Spanish. With these words, el doesn't indicate gender but is used instead for ease of pronunciation. As you can see, below that chart, you’ll then see the “el” & “la” exceptions for Spanish words. 2. In Spanish, verbs don't match the gender of the noun, but in Russian, past tense verbs do match the noun's gender. #RAEconsultas Although «vacaciones» is the majority use, the singular «vacación» is also correct: «la vacación veraniega» (P. Laín Entralgo). However, the gender in Spanish language can be really tricky sometimes. | Terms of Use. All Rights Reserved. The reason we have so many is because they change according to both gender and number. Master Spanish Numbers From 1 to 100 and Beyond! I can help you with that! . las vacaciones de Navidad, las vacaciones de Pascua, las vacaciones de verano. La mano — the hand It is similar to the way in which English substitutes "an" for "a" in front of some nouns, as the rule applies to the opening sound of the word, not how it's spelled. Copyright © Curiosity Media, Inc., a division of IXL Learning, There are also many common words ending in. 3. You might also be interested in this list of adjectives that describe personalities. Examples: Es verano. All Spanish nouns (sustantivos), including people, places, animals, things, ideas, and feelings, have a gender (male or female). 1 niño + 4 niñas = 5 niños (1 boy + 4 girls = 5 kids), 3 gatos + 542 gatas = 545 gatos (3 male cats + 542 female cats = 545 cats). Nouns with certain other endings are usually masculine. Then it’s time to test yourself with a quick quiz we put together. Thankfully, there aren’t that many, but we should still consider them. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. férias, sair de férias, férias [feminine…, vacances [feminine, plural], passer ses vacances…, vacanza, andare in vacanza, (passare le vacanze)…, Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes, Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English. c. holidays (plural) (United Kingdom) Maybe you could make up your own! We know, we know, the exceptions are very frustrating. However, the use of ellos meaning a group of people of an ambiguous gender is sometimes seen as structually anti-feminist . Or Swedish, which has two genders that aren’t feminine or masculine. adjective. La disco is short for la discoteca, and la foto is short for la fotografía. Possible excuses include hospitalization. Genders and articles - KS3 Spanish - BBC Bitesize - BBC Bitesize In the case of adjectives, it always shows first the masculine form, and then the ending of the feminine form. (For example, you say la blusa (lah bvloo h -sah) ( the blouse ) but el vestido (ehl bvehs- tee -doh) ( the dress ). Even if the nouns are in singular! Spanish speakers always like to have vacations in plural. Learn all about the Spanish gender roles below – Feminine (la) vs Masculine (el). But fortunately, Spanish grammatical gender does have some rules you can follow to figure out when you need el and when you need la. If you can’t wait, check out our list of the most useful Spanish pronouns. Words that are shortened versions of other words. For example, un lápiz, which means “a pencil,” has an unusual ending, -z. For those interested in a little history, masculine Spanish nouns that end in -ta, -pa and -ma tend to come from Greek originally. Spanish Grammar: Figuring Out Grammatical Gender - Babbel.com Exceptions: el mapa, el día, el planeta, el sofá, el problema, el tema, el sistema, el idioma, el drama, etc. hot day. Take a look at these articles! Letters are feminine while numbers are masculine. As you’ll see in a moment, most words that end in -a are feminine, but there are exceptions. Days and months are masculine: el lunes, el miércoles, el sábado, este abril, ese enero, etc. Here are some examples: grande (“big” ), gris (“gray” ), and realista (“realistic” ). Therefore, there are always exceptions to the rules, and these exceptions, in turn, create new rules. can take anywhere. 4 Answers. Masculine and Feminine Spanish Nouns: The A-Z Guide to Gender Rules, Practice Tips and More. Add vacation to one of your lists below, or create a new one. Spanish nouns that end with -o are masculine, and ones that end with -a are feminine, right? I’m going to list them one by one, and also I will teach you what the exceptions are if there are any. Russian. 0 && stateHdr.searchDesk ? Masculine nouns that end in consonants (non-vowels) have a corresponding feminine form that ends in a. El profesor — the male professor . You could possibly say el tortugo to refer to a male turtle, but it might get you a weird look or two. We admit that it does sound a little scary at first. 4. Most have English cognates. Words that are shortened versions of other words. My parents spent the Easter holidays in Argentina. The standard rules are here on the top of the page, but you shouldn’t trust them fully. You must keep in mind that it’s all about getting used to the genders; once you do, you won’t even have to think about them. 1 comment. Colors are always masculine, even if they end with -a: el rojo, el negro, el azul, el naranja, el púrpura, etc. vacation translations: vacaciones, vacaciones, pasar las vacaciones, vacaciones [feminine, plural], vacaciones [feminine…. tourist translate: turista, miembro del equipo visitante, turista [masculine-feminine, singular]. Erichsen, Gerald. (relating to television) a. de televisión. Fortunately, even the exceptions have rules. La familia se fue de vacaciones a Méjico. (industry) a. la televisión. The fact that inanimate objects have a gender in Spanish does not mean that things like tables and books are physically feminine or masculine. Como La Flor, by Selena. La soldado — the female soldier, El modelo — the male model One warning, though: the “S” in LONERS refers to nouns that are singular, like el mes. A common example of this is la flor, which is a feminine word that means “the flower.”. La atleta — the female athlete, El psiquiatra — the male psychiatrist Summer is the time of family vacations and warm weather. Spanish Nouns That Are Sometimes Masculine, Sometimes Feminine, Gender, an Inherent Characteristic of Spanish Nouns, 10 Things You Should Know About Gender in Spanish, Substituting ‘El’ for ‘La’ for Spanish Feminine Nouns, Neither Masculine nor Feminine: Using the Neuter Gender in Spanish, A Guide to Using Definite Articles in Spanish, How To Make Spanish Nouns and Adjectives Plural. las vacaciones de Navidad, las vacaciones de Pascua, las vacaciones de verano. These include -aje (usually the equivalent of "-age"), -ambre, and -or. Some nouns are both masculine and feminine despite their ending, 7. How do you say vacation in Spanish? | Homework.Study.com Some male-associated nouns are feminine and vice versa, 4. Cardinal directions are masculine, too: el norte, el sur, el este, el oeste. Nouns with specific endings are always feminine, 8. ThoughtCo, Apr. However, with some specific nouns (especially when we talk about professions) we do replace the -e with an -a, and both forms are correct: El presidente -> La presidente / La presidenta. Similarly, when talking about living creatures, nouns that end in “a” are feminine. Quick Answer All Spanish nouns ( sustantivos ), including people, places, animals, things, ideas, and feelings, have a gender (male or female). Now, how is the Spanish language affected by gender? How to know if a word is masculine or feminine in Spanish? These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. El día — the day But there's much more to masculine and feminine Spanish . Not only in Spanish, but also in other Romance and non-Romance languages, such as German and Russian. Like El and La. If the word does not change, the article is what tells you the gender. They actually come from Ancient Greek and they are all masculine: el dilema, el emblema, el teorema, el fonema, el lexema…. Any adjective used to describe an apple in Spanish must also be feminine (for example roja). I hope this helps. A noun is a word referring to a person, animal, place, thing, feeling or idea (e.g. Here we will explain the rules, and then the 3 categories of exceptions: Below are a number of words you would think should be “la” according to the rules above, but they are “el”, as they are exceptions to the el/la rules. You might be interested in learning how to get around in Spanish, or maybe you would like to improve your pronunciation. Is That Noun Masculine or Feminine? The letters of the alphabet are feminine: la a, la be, la ce, la de, etc. Nouns that refer to people and animals have two forms. Below you’ll find a list of words and be able to find out for yourself if it is masculine (el) or feminine (la). https://www.thoughtco.com/words-that-break-the-gender-rule-3078133 (accessed June 6, 2023). 'pa pdd chac-sb tc-bd bw hbr-20 hbss lpt-25' : 'hdn'">. Read 250 words that are the same in English and Spanish and Spanish words that are similar to English words to boost your vocabulary right away! Nouns that end in -ama/-ema are usually masculine, 9. La radio — the radio More examples: área (el área/las áreas), aula (el aula/las aulas), águila (el águila/las águilas), etc. "Is That Noun Masculine or Feminine?" Nouns that end in –ama or -ema pretty much always require a masculine article. Estás muy estresado; necesitas irte de vacaciones. For example, the domain order for choosing the destination of a. There are many activities and games you could try to help you memorize the gender of a noun, such as quizzes or flashcards that include an article or an adjective in the correct gender of the nouns you want to learn. It was quite common to spend the summer vacations at the parents' place, helping them with household tasks. Erichsen, Gerald. Control of polling in presence of vacations in heavy traffic with applications to satellite and mobile radio systems. "Spanish Words That Break the Gender Rule." 3. In Spanish, every noun has a. While most nouns refer to objects and concepts that don’t have gender, there are also the nouns that do. For example, la mano (hand) & el día (day). The second thing is that words that end in -a are most likely feminine. Here there are some examples: El cuento (tale) – La cuenta (account, sum). In English, there are two articles, which are “the” and “a(n),” but Spanish has a few more. Nouns that end in –sión, –ción, –dad, –tud and –umbre will always require the feminine article. Learn more in the Cambridge English-Spanish Dictionary. (Download). At SpanishPod101.com, you’ll find everything you need to learn Spanish. The grammatical gender is an arbitrary classification that divides nouns into two types: masculines or feminines. You could also use an online immersion program. Most feminine nouns end in a. (= Is the water cold or lukewarm?). These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Let us know in the comments; we look forward to hearing from you! In this sense, there are different kinds of adjectives. Misspelling the word in a way that doesn't change the pronunciation shouldn't be counted wrong. Ending offers a good clue to gender, but there are exceptions. How To Guess if a Spanish Noun Is Masculine or Feminine - ThoughtCo It allows you to... Once you’ve mastered the basics of a language, you’re ready to move on to the next level and start handling more... Do you often feel lonely and sad? The last three of them are actually abbreviations of feminine compound words: la radiofonía, la motocicleta, la fotografía. (Translation of vacation from the Cambridge English-Spanish Dictionary © Cambridge University Press), (Translation of vacation from the GLOBAL English-Spanish Dictionary © 2020 K Dictionaries Ltd), a region of northern Europe that includes Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, On its last legs (Describing the condition of objects, Part 1), © Cambridge University Press & Assessment 2023. This is why we’re about to teach you all you need to know about gender in Spanish. Despite the many exceptions noted above, a great majority of Spanish words that end in -a are feminine. The most well-known rule or guideline is that nouns ending in -o are masculine and those ending in -a are feminine, but there are numerous exceptions to this gender rule, especially for those ending in -a. Let’s start with something simple: the word for “gender” in Spanish is género, and our two genders are femenino (“feminine” ) and masculino (“masculine” ). Mano, Día, Other Words That Break Spanish's Gender Rule - ThoughtCo That’s why agua, a feminine noun, in singular is el agua. Do you see those words ending with -ma? The idea here is that words that end in any of the letters L-O-N-E-R-S tend to be masculine. Their gender can change other words that follow or precede them, like adjectives. Note that many words have definitions in addition to those listed: Nouns ending in certain suffixes are usually feminine. When talking about an animal that might have different word endings depending on its gender, we normally use the masculine form first if we don’t know the actual gender of the animal. Masculine & Feminine in Spanish | Study.com Thus foreign nouns that end in -a sometimes become feminine, as do some words related in meaning to a Spanish feminine word. Others, as mentioned before, can have a different ending—or even be completely different words. August 14, 2018. 4. Two-word nouns, which are unusual in Spanish, carry the gender of the first noun. Obviously, you understand that this is not about eyesight, but of knowing that the words we use to name animals have genders that might not be the same as their actual gender. • Most words that. This is because different varieties of the... Learning a language, whether in the classroom or on your own, is a rewarding and fun experience. The most common structure for nouns in Spanish is (article) + noun + (adjective), so we’re going to follow this structure and talk about Spanish article gender rules first. Nouns ending with -a are usually feminine: la mesa, la cama, la casa, la palabra, etc. Masculine and Feminine in Spanish (el & la): The Rules & Their Many Exceptions. ), but they do make sense to us and it would sound really funny if someone didn’t use them right. And to improve your Spanish even further, book a lesson with me! When they refer to professions, words ending with -ista have the same form for masculine and feminine: el/la dentista, el/la artista, el/la periodista, el/la pianista. Spanish Language Gender Rules: How Does it Work? Not only in Spanish, but also in other Romance and non-Romance languages, such as German and Russian. When learning a noun, it might be useful to learn it together with its corresponding article, especially when it’s not a typical word with an -o or -a ending. Search millions of Spanish-English example sentences from our dictionary, TV shows, and the internet.
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