Nouns and Articles

(Los sustantivos y los artculos)

It is often said that a noun is a person, place or thing. That is true but, in fact, a noun is anything we can put a name on. Therefore, even words that refer to abstract concepts such as love, life, anger, and so on, are nouns. In Spanish, one of the words for noun is nombre, which simply means name.

In Spanish, nouns are classified into two groups: masculine and feminine
To identify our masculine nouns, we will start with the indefinite masculine article un, which in English is a or an Masculine nouns

un libro un rub un men un reloj

a book a ruby a menu a watch

Normally, nouns ending in o, , or a consonant are masculine. Of course, there are exceptions. One is una mano.

Note: The fact that a noun is masculine, other than those that denote human beings, has nothing whatever to do with sexual attributes.

In Spanish, nouns are classified into two groups: masculine and feminine
Words ending in or (accented) are fairly rare in Spanish and, as mentioned, are normally masculine. un colibr un esqu un rub a hummingbird un gur un igl un men a guru an igloo a menu

a ski
a ruby

Words ending in i or u (unaccented) are even more rare, and may be masculine or feminine.

un/una cursi
una tribu

a pretentious person (male/female)

a tribe

In Spanish, nouns are classified into two groups: masculine and feminine
To identify our masculine nouns, we will start with the indefinite masculine article un, which in English is a or an Masculine nouns

un hombre In addition, nouns that denote male persons are normally masculine.

a man

un muchacho a boy un profesor un doctor a professor (m) a doctor (m)

In Spanish, nouns are classified into two groups: masculine and feminine
To identify our feminine nouns, we will start with the indefinite feminine article una, which in English is a or an Feminine nouns

una mesa

a table

una ciudad a city una nacin a nation

Normally, nouns ending in a, ad, cin, or sin are feminine. Two exceptions are un mapa and un da.

Note: Again, the fact that a noun is feminine, other than those that denote human beings, has nothing to do with sexual attributes.

In Spanish, nouns are classified into two groups: masculine and feminine
To identify our feminine nouns, we will start with the indefinite feminine article una, which in English is a or an Feminine nouns

In addition, nouns that denote female persons are normally feminine or have a feminine form that is the counterpart of the masculine.

una mujer

a woman

una muchacha a girl una profesora una doctora a professor (f) a doctor (f)

Remember!
Nouns ending in o, , , or a consonant are normally masculine Nouns ending in a, ad, cin, or sin are normally feminine
Words that end with e are suspect, that is, they may be masculine or they may be feminine

nouns ending in e

Masculine

Feminine

un coche un bote un frente un bate

a car a can a front a bat (baseball)

una noche una calle una frente una peste

a night a street a forehead a plague

un bache

a pothole

una llave

a key

When in doubt about the gender of a noun ending in e, or any noun, ask a native speaker or your teacher, or look it up in a dictionary.

Words that end with -ma are usually masculine

un problema un tema un sistema un diploma un aroma un programa un diagrama un clima

But there are a few exceptions:

una trama una diadema una estratagema

Definite and indefinite articles

The indefinite article (un, una) refers to a non-specific item.

Es un libro. Its a book, any old

book.

The definite article (el, la) refers to a specific item.

Es el libro que usamos en la clase de espaol.

Its the book we use in the Spanish class.

Definite and indefinite articles

The indefinite article (un, una) refers to a non-specific item.

Es una silla. Its a chair, any old

chair.

The definite article (el, la) refers to a specific item.

Es la silla que usamos en la clase de espaol.

Its the chair we use in the Spanish class.

Definite and indefinite articles

The plural indefinite article (unos, unas) can be translated as some or a few.

Hay unos libros en la sala de clase.

There are a few books in the classroom.

Hay unas sillas tambin.

There are some chairs, too.

Definite and indefinite articles

The plural definite article (los, las), just like the singular, refers to specific things.

Son los libros para la clase de espaol.

Theyre the books for the Spanish class.

Son las sillas para los estudiantes.

Theyre the chairs for the students.

Summary of definite and indefinite articles

The masculine indefinite articles are:

un unos

a, an some, a few

un libro = a book unos libros = some books

The masculine definite articles are:

el los

the the (English has no plural form for the)

el libro = the book los libros = the books

Summary of definite and indefinite articles

The feminine indefinite articles are:

una unas

a, an some, a few

una silla = a chair unas sillas = some chairs

The feminine definite articles are:

la las

the the

la silla = the chair las sillas = the chairs

Pluralization
(La pluralizacin)
Nouns are pluralized differently in Spanish than in English.

If a noun ends in a, , e, , o, , i or u, we simply add s.

Singular Plural

casa mam llave caf libro domin cursi tribu

casas mams llaves cafs libros domins cursis tribus

Pluralization
(La pluralizacin)
Nouns are pluralized differently in Spanish than in English.

The rare word that ends in or can be pluralized by adding either s or es.
Singular Plural

colibr esqu rub igl men tab

colibrs/colibres esqus/esques rubs/rubes igls/igles mens/menes tabs/tabes

Pluralization
(La pluralizacin)
Nouns are pluralized differently in Spanish than in English.

If a noun ends in a consonant, we add es.

Singular Plural

borrador orden papel pared reloj seor

borradores rdenes papeles paredes relojes seores

Pluralization
(La pluralizacin)
Nouns are pluralized differently in Spanish than in English.

Polysyllabic words that end in s, and are stressed on any syllable except the last one, maintain the same form in the plural as in the singular. We show that they are plural by using the plural article.
Singular Plural

el lunes el oasis la tesis el autobs

los lunes los oasis las tesis los autobuses

If stressed on the last syllable, they are pluralized normally.

Pluralization
(La pluralizacin)
Generally, adjectives are pluralized just like nouns.

If an adjective ends in a vowel, we simply add s.

Singular Plural

bonito inteligente fcil comn

bonitos inteligentes fciles comunes

If an adjective ends in a consonant, we add es.

Pluralization
(La pluralizacin)
When a noun or an adjective ends in z, we must change the z to c before adding es.
Singular Plural

nouns

lpiz luz feliz audaz

lpices luces felices audaces

adjectives

FIN