The Animated Book
of SpanishGrammar Reference

Spanish Nouns and Gender

Adapted from The Animated Book of Spanish, an interactive Spanish grammar book.

Every Spanish noun is either masculine or feminine, even words for things like books and tables. You can often tell which from the ending, and the gender decides the article: el and un for masculine, la and una for feminine.
Masculineel, un
  • el librothe book
  • el perrothe dog
  • el cochethe car
  • el árbolthe tree
Femininela, una
  • la casathe house
  • la mesathe table
  • la nochethe night
  • la ciudadthe city
On this page

Why gender matters

A noun's gender changes the words around it: the article (el or la, un or una) and any adjectives that describe it.

  1. Masculine
    El vestido es bonito.

    The dress is pretty.

    Feminine
    La camisa es bonita.

    The shirt is pretty.

  2. Masculine
    Tengo un coche nuevo.

    I have a new car.

    Feminine
    Tengo una bici nueva.

    I have a new bike.

  3. Masculine
    Este libro es mío.

    This book is mine.

    Feminine
    Esta mesa es mía.

    This table is mine.

Endings that tell you the gender

These endings are reliable guides. Each has only a few exceptions, and the common ones are listed below.

  • ‑o
    Masculineel libro,el vaso,el cieloExceptions: la mano, la foto, la radio
  • ‑or
    Masculineel color,el amor,el ordenadorException: la flor
  • ‑aje
    Masculineel viaje,el garaje,el mensaje
  • ‑a
    Femininela casa,la mesa,la playaExceptions: el día, el mapa, el problema
  • ‑ción, ‑sión
    Femininela canción,la televisión,la información
  • ‑dad, ‑tad
    Femininela ciudad,la verdad,la libertad
  • ‑tud
    Femininela actitud,la juventud,la virtud
  • ‑umbre
    Femininela costumbre,la cumbre,la incertidumbre

Other endings: learn the article

Nouns ending in ‑e or a consonant can go either way, so there's no shortcut:

Masculine
  • el cochethe car
  • el caféthe coffee
  • el árbolthe tree
  • el lápizthe pencil
Feminine
  • la nochethe night
  • la callethe street
  • la luzthe light
  • la narizthe nose

Common exceptions

A few very common nouns break the ‑o / ‑a rule. They're worth learning early, since you'll use them all the time.

Masculine, ending in ‑a
  • el díathe day
  • el mapathe map
  • el problemathe problem
  • el idiomathe language
  • el sofáthe sofa
Feminine, ending in ‑o
  • la manothe hand
  • la fotothe photo
  • la motothe motorcycle
  • la radiothe radio

  • Hoy hace un día precioso.

    It’s a beautiful day today.

  • El problema es que no tenemos tiempo.

    The problem is that we don’t have time.

  • Me duele la mano derecha.

    My right hand hurts.

Many of the masculine ‑a nouns end in ‑ma and come from Greek: el problema, el tema, el sistema, el programa, el clima.

People and animals

Nouns for people usually have a masculine and a feminine form. There are four patterns:

  • Change ‑o to ‑a
  • el niño
    ,
    la niña
    boy, girl
  • el amigo
    ,
    la amiga
    friend
  • el hermano
    ,
    la hermana
    brother, sister
  • Add ‑a to a consonant
  • el profesor
    ,
    la profesora
    teacher
  • el doctor
    ,
    la doctora
    doctor
  • el francés
    ,
    la francesa
    Frenchman, Frenchwoman
  • Same word, different article
  • el estudiante
    ,
    la estudiante
    student
  • el artista
    ,
    la artista
    artist
  • el joven
    ,
    la joven
    young man, young woman
  • A different word
  • el padre
    ,
    la madre
    father, mother
  • el hombre
    ,
    la mujer
    man, woman
  • el rey
    ,
    la reina
    king, queen

Same word, different meaning

A handful of nouns change their meaning with their gender:

  • el capitalmoney, capital
    ,
    la capitalcapital city
  • el ordenorder, tidiness
    ,
    la ordenan order, command
  • el curapriest
    ,
    la curacure
  • el frentefront
    ,
    la frenteforehead
  • el cometacomet
    ,
    la cometakite

El agua and el hambre

Feminine nouns that start with a stressed a or ha take el (and un) in the singular, because la agua is awkward to say. They're still feminine: adjectives stay feminine, and the plural goes back to las.

  • el agua
    ,
    las aguas
    water
  • el águila
    ,
    las águilas
    eagle
  • el aula
    ,
    las aulas
    classroom
  • el alma
    ,
    las almas
    soul

  • El agua está fría.

    The water is cold.

  • Tengo mucha hambre.

    I’m very hungry.

  • El aula nueva es muy grande.

    The new classroom is very big.

Common mistakes English speakers make

  1. Assuming every noun ending in ‑a is feminine

    Incorrect:La problema es el dinero.
    Correct:El problema es el dinero.

    Problema is one of the common masculine nouns that end in ‑a.

  2. Assuming every noun ending in ‑o is masculine

    Incorrect:Me duele el mano.
    Correct:Me duele la mano.

    Mano is feminine, even though it ends in ‑o.

  3. Using la before a stressed a

    Incorrect:La agua está fría.
    Correct:El agua está fría.

    Feminine nouns starting with a stressed a take el in the singular.

  4. Treating el agua as masculine

    Incorrect:El agua está frío.
    Correct:El agua está fría.

    Agua is still feminine, so adjectives stay feminine.

  5. Matching the person instead of the noun

    Incorrect:Juan es una persona muy simpático.
    Correct:Juan es una persona muy simpática.

    The adjective describes persona, which is feminine, even when the person is a man.

Questions about noun gender

How do you know if a Spanish noun is masculine or feminine?

Look at the ending. Most nouns ending in -o, -or, and -aje are masculine, and most ending in -a, -ción, -sión, -dad, -tad, and -tud are feminine. For other endings, like -e or a consonant, learn the noun together with its article: el coche, la noche.

Why is it el agua if agua is feminine?

Feminine nouns that start with a stressed a or ha take el in the singular, because la agua is awkward to say. The noun is still feminine: el agua fría, and in the plural, las aguas. The same goes for el hambre, el águila, and el alma.

Why is it el problema and not la problema?

A few common nouns ending in -a are masculine, including most that end in -ma and come from Greek: el problema, el tema, el sistema, el idioma. El día and el mapa are masculine too.

What gender do you use for a mixed group?

The masculine plural. Los niños can mean "the boys" or "the children," and mis hermanos can mean "my brothers" or "my siblings." The feminine plural (las niñas) is only for all-female groups.

Is there a neuter gender in Spanish?

Not for nouns: every noun is masculine or feminine. But there is a neuter article, lo, used with adjectives to talk about an idea (lo bueno, "the good thing") and in lo que ("what"): Lo que quiero es dormir.

Next upPlural nounsAdd ‑s or ‑es, ‑z to ‑ces, accents that come and go, and words that don’t change.

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