Conjugation of the noun chair in Spanish. noun in spanish

As you may have guessed, masculine and feminine in Spanish is of great importance. Depending on gender, not only the noun changes, but also the article, and even the adjective. I'm sure you understand the importance of this distinction.

Let's look at all the intricacies of building words in Spanish. Very often we have to name this or that profession, specifying whether it is a man or a woman. For example, you tell a friend that you have visited a doctor so that he understands you better, you explain that this is a woman. In Spanish, instead of the word woman, the article and ending are changed.

I hope you noticed that we changed the letter "o" to "a" for feminine? So, before doing this with a profession, always pay attention to the ending, if you suddenly come across the endings (sor), (dor) or (tor), then in these professions the letter should not be replaced, but added. If you really want to learn Spanish from scratch, don't shy away from studying, let's see an example:

However, one cannot do without exceptions, most of the nouns that speak of a rank or profession have the same form for both masculine and feminine. The only difference is in the article. For example:

I remind you that adjectives, like nouns, can also be feminine or masculine. To replenish your vocabulary, you can always use our free program: Spanish in Pictures to learn new words. If you want to say in Spanish: Beautiful cat or beautiful table, the adjective will be different, let's take a look at an example:

However, there is one trick, if the masculine adjective ends in a different letter (not "o"), then the ending will not change even if it is a feminine gender. For example:

It is worth noting that the masculine articles have another distinctive feature. They can merge with the prepositions "a" and "de". These prepositions can be translated into Russian as follows: "a" - in, to (if you studied English, then this is the same as the preposition to), but "de" - from, from (in English it sounds like: from). Now here's the big question! How do they merge with prepositions? Consider a table.

Nouns in Spanish have two genders: masculine and feminine. There are words that obey clear rules for the use of one kind or another. And, as always, there are exceptions to the rule. Having studied all the rules for the formation of feminine and masculine gender, sometimes it is still better to look in the dictionary to make sure that your decision is correct.

Usually, nouns that denote male humans and animals are masculine:

El hombre (man), el caballo (horse), el gato (cat), el profesor (teacher), papá (dad).

Note that some animal names have separate forms for feminine and masculine. But there are also animals for which sex must be designated macho (male) or hembra (female):

la pantera negra macho/ la pantera negra hembra (black panther), giraffe, la jirafa macho / la jirafa hembra (giraffe)!

Those nouns that end in -o, most often belong to the masculine gender:

libro (book), charco (puddle), pájaro (bird).

Words that came to Spanish from Greek that end in ma, ta will only be masculine.

For example: cometa (comet), problema (problem), tema (topic), idioma (language).

Nouns that end in a consonant or -e can be either masculine or feminine.

As for the first case, we will give here some variants of endings, according to which nouns can be attributed with a high degree of probability to one or another gender (Remember that there are exceptions!).

As for the ending - e, even though some Spanish authors refer these words to the masculine gender, there are nevertheless a large number of exceptions, so we give our interpretation. In any case, it will always be useful to pay attention to the article when learning new words in Spanish.

Masculine gender will have nouns with the last consonant l, n, r, s (except for those cases that are feminine: -ción, -sión, -is, tis).

For example: pan (bread), árbol (wood), señor (senior), lunes (Monday).

You should remember groups of nouns, which always stand only in the masculine gender.

1. These are the names of the days of the week: viernes (Friday), jueves (Thursday);
2. Month names: septiembre (September), noviembre (November);
3. Names of the cardinal points: sur (south), este (east);
4. Tree names: manzano (apple), peral (pear);
5. Names of rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, straits and mountains: Volga (Volga);
6. Compound nouns: cumpleaños (birthday), parasol (sun umbrella), sacacorchos (corkscrew), portaaviones (aircraft carrier).

Exceptions to the rules

There are a number of words that have only feminine endings with masculine endings: mano (hand), foto (photo), radio (radio), flor (flower), miel (honey), tos (cough), sal (salt), mujer (wife), la imagen (image) la fama (glory), la suma (sum) and others.

The gender of these nouns has developed historically, so these words can only be remembered.

By the way, some exceptions have become such due to the fact that the words were shortened in oral speech from the original ones. For example, la moto from motocicleta, la radio from la radiodifu sion.

El genero femenino (feminine)

Usually, nouns that denote female humans and animals are feminine:

La mujer (woman), la perdiz (partridge), la gata (cat), la madre (mother).

Those nouns that end in -a are most often feminine:

puerta (door), rosa (rose), ventana (window), pelicula (film).

Most nouns also have the feminine gender with the following endings:

• -cion, -sion : lección (lecture), canción (song), pasión (passion);
• -dad, -tad, -ed : pared (wall), ciudad (city), facultad (faculty), libertad (freedom), verdad (truth);
• -z : luz (light), paz (world);
• -ie : serie (series), especie (kind, type);
• -is, tis : crisis (crisis), tesis (thesis), artritis (arthritis).

Also feminine and are written accordingly with the article of the name of the letters: la a, la be, la eñe.

Exceptions to the rules

There are a number of masculine nouns that came into Spanish from Greek and other languages ​​that end in -a: el sofá (sofa), el tranvía (tram), el pijama (pajamas), el día (day).

Other exceptions include el pie (foot), el analisis (analysis, research).

There is a very interesting number of exceptions - these are words that begin with stressed a- and ha-. For euphony and ease of pronunciation, they are used in the singular with the masculine article el (if they go immediately after the article), while retaining their feminine gender (the feminine form of adjectives and participles). In the plural, they, as expected, are used with the feminine article:

El agua limpias (clean water) - las aguas limpias.

El águila majestuosa (the majestic eagle) - las águilas majestuosas.

El hada pequeña (little fairy) - las hadas pequeñas.

But! La pequena hada. (There is an adjective between the article and the noun, so the article, as expected, is feminine.)

Common nouns

In Spanish there is a group of words, the so-called common gender. These are words that, depending on the article used, can denote either the feminine or the masculine gender. They are spelled exactly the same. The choice of gender for such words depends on who is being spoken about: a woman or a man. These words denote rank, profession, occupation.

In most cases, they end in -ista: turista (tourist), deportista (sportsman). Also in -n or -nte: joven (young man, girl), cliente (client), estudiante (student).

Professions ending in -r, when talking about a woman, require the addition of an ending -a: profesor (teacher, professor) - profesora (teacher), doctor (male doctor) - doctora (woman doctor), domador (tamer) - domadora (tamer) , conductor (man driver) - conductora (woman driver).

Test to test acquired knowledge

1. Note the feminine words:

a) puerta b) árbol c) pan d) class

2. What is the gender of the noun "problema":

a) male b) female

3. Check the words that can be both masculine and feminine:

a) tema b) estudiante c) artista d) doctor

4. Mark only masculine words:

a) mano b) coche c) postre d) joven

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Details Category: Nouns

Noun - a part of speech denoting an object and usually changing in numbers

As in Russian, nouns have gender and number (adjectives, by the way, too). They do not decline in cases.

Most nouns ending in -a, are feminine. Feminine words are words ending in -dad, -cion.
Masculine nouns end in –o. Also masculine nouns are -ma(problema, tema, etc.).

Many nouns can be both masculine and feminine, but their meaning may change or take on a shade.

Pluralformed with the ending -s, if the noun ends in a vowel) or -es if the noun ends in a consonant. In this case, the spelling of the word can be changed if the rules require it.

The article is used with feminine nouns. una, la. The article is used with masculine nouns. un, el.

Everything in Spanish is either masculine or feminine. Knowledge of masculine and feminine separates those who are barely learning a language from those who are already fluent.

Developing the skill to determine what kind of noun it is at first glance can take time, but it is a big step in mastering the basics. In today's article, we're going to give you some useful Spanish gender hints that are great training for your brain to recognize, categorize and ultimately determine the gender of a Spanish word accurately.

Noun: masculine or feminine?

A noun is a person, place, object, idea, or abstract concept. Every noun in Spanish has a specific article that determines the gender of the word. They can be definite or indefinite and have 4 forms:

Masculine article singular → el

Plural masculine article → los

Feminine article singular → la

Plural feminine article → las

Examples:

• Human

el niño → boy, los niños → boys

la niña → girl, las niñas → girls

• place

el restaurante → restaurant, los restaurantes → restaurants

la casa → home, las casas → home

• thing

el papel → paper, los papeles → paper

la mesa → table, las mesas → tables

el pensamiento → thought, los pensamientos → thoughts

la idea → idea, las ideas → idea

Living beings belong to the genus that corresponds to their real sex.

It's simple. Every living being is either el or la. If you are familiar with English, then creatures are always mentioned there with the article the. In Spanish, there are a lot of details and details in this regard, because the Spaniards love to observe and note the differences. With that in mind, pay attention to the first two rules of gender in Spanish.

Rule #1

When referring to living beings, nouns ending in "o" are masculine.

Examples:

el perro → dog (m.), los perros → dogs (m.)

el gato → cat, los gatos → cats

el chico → boy, los chicos → boys

el oso → bear, los osos → bears

el abuelo → grandfather, los abuelos → grandparents

el tío → uncle, los tíos → uncles

Rule #2

When referring to living beings, nouns ending in "a" are feminine.

Examples:

la perra → dog (female), las perras → dogs (female)

la gata → cat, las gatas → cats

la chica → girl, las chicas → girls

la osa → she-bear, las osas → she-bear

Beware of traps!

There is a small chance that you may fall into a trap. You will definitely get into trouble if you think that all words that are associated with the masculine gender or gender are automatically masculine, and all words that are associated with the female gender are automatically feminine. This is not entirely true. Definitely, only living beings fall under this classification. The following examples clearly show how objects in our minds are associated with a particular genus, but do not belong to it:

la corbata → necktie

el maquillaje → makeup

To avoid falling into this trap, the main thing you can do is practice these nouns in real life situations. How to do it at home? On time with a mentor!

Ready for the next six rules?

Masculine in Spanish

When there is a crowd of people or a group of animals, a sum of concepts, or a multitude of objects, some of which are masculine and some are feminine, which gender should be used?

If you answer: "Masculine is always used when there is a mixed group," then you already think in Spanish.

Rule #3

When there is a group of mixed gender, no matter what the ratio of women to men or men to women, the group is always regarded as belonging to the masculine gender.

1 niño + 4 niñas = 5 niños

1 boy + 4 girls = 5 children

3 gatos + 542 gatas = 545 gatos

3 cats + 542 cats = 545 cats

The masculine carries more weight than the feminine when it comes to applying the rules. And, although the words have the same value, the male gender dominates by default. To make a word feminine, you just need to add the ending "a".

Rule #4

Masculine nouns that end in consonants become feminine nouns by adding "a".

Examples:

el profesor → male professor, la profesora → female professor

el doctor → male doctor, la doctora → female doctor

el señor → man, la señora → woman

Gender of nouns denoting professions

Some nouns that refer to professions do not change their forms. This does not mean that the very concept of genus disappears. If the word does not change, its gender is determined only with the help of the article.

Rule #5

Some nouns that refer to professions have the same form for masculine and feminine. The only thing that will change is the article.

Examples:

el piloto → pilot (m.), la piloto → pilot (f.)

el soldado → soldier (m.), la soldado → soldier (m.)

el modelo → model (m.s.), la modelo → model (f.s.)

el poeta → poet, la poeta → poetess

el atleta → athlete (m.), la atleta → athlete (f.)

el psiquiatra → psychiatrist (m.), la psquiatra → psychiatrist (f.)

Special endings

Some words are used exclusively with a feminine article, while others are used exclusively with a masculine article. This means that these words never change in gender. Using masculine articles with feminine words and vice versa will greatly distort your speech.

Rule #6

Nouns ending in -sión, -ción, -dad, -tud and -umbre will always be used with a feminine article.

Examples:

la exposición → exhibition

la habitacion → room

la felicidad → happiness

la solicitud → statement

la costumbre → custom

Rule #7

Nouns ending in -ma require a masculine article.

Examples:

el problema → problem

el emblema → emblem

el enigma → mystery

Exceptions that create new rules

Although languages ​​exist within a strict framework of rules, while they are alive, they are constantly evolving dynamically. Therefore, there are always exceptions to the rules, and these exceptions, in turn, create new rules.

Rule #8

Some nouns that end in "a" are masculine.

Some nouns that end in "o" are feminine.

Examples:

el dia → day

el mapa → map

el cura → priest

el planeta → planet

la photo → photography

la mano → hand

la radio → radio

la moto → motorcycle

Best Methods for Learning Spanish

Remember that learning a foreign language is not a result, it is a process! It is important that you set a daily language learning schedule for yourself, this will stimulate you and allow you to see results.

As for the feminine and masculine, first of all, remember the basic rules and key exceptions. When watching your favorite movie, listen carefully. The more you read, the more you will be surprised by the masculine and feminine words. And, most importantly, find someone with whom you can practice.

Thus, you will quickly catch all the patterns, nuances and subtleties of the language. Try to think and act like a small child learning a language for the first time: a lot of listening, first attempts to say something that turn into complete nonsense and a slurred set of words and sounds, then the first coherent phrases (albeit with a fair share of errors), a growing day of day vocabulary and, finally, as a result - fluent!

A noun is an independent part of speech denoting objects, persons, places or ideas.

Examples:

Items: book / el libro, phone / el teléfono, tomato / el tomate
Persons: girl / la muchacha, doctor / el doctor, student / el estudiante
Places: garden / el jardín, university / la universidad, Venezuela / Venesuela
Ideas: freedom / la libertad, despair / la desesperación, trust / la confianza

In Spanish, all nouns are either masculine or feminine.

The division of animate nouns by gender seems quite natural and understandable. After all, in Russian we also attribute animate nouns to the masculine or feminine gender.

All of the following Spanish nouns are animate:

el gato	cat
la gata	cat
el perro	dog
la perra	dog
el muchacho	boy
la muchacha	young woman
el abuelo	Grandpa
la abuela	grandmother

What do you see in common in masculine nouns?

el gato
el perro
el muchacho
el abuelo

What do you see in common in feminine nouns?

la gata
la perra
la muchacha
la abuela

Pay attention to the ending of each word and the article before it!

"El" and "la" are articles in Spanish. As you might guess, the article "el" is placed before masculine words, and the article "la" is placed before feminine words.

el muchacho (boyfriend)
la muchacha (girl)

el perro (dog)
la gata (cat)

Note that the articles ""el"" and ""la"" are called "definite articles". You will learn more about the difference between definite and indefinite articles in the next lesson.

What do you notice in the endings of the presented nouns?

masculine	Feminine
gato	gata
perro	perra
muchacho	muchacha
abuelo	abuela

Nouns ending in -o are usually masculine. Nouns ending in -a are usually feminine. Pay attention to the word "usually"! Naturally, there are numerous exceptions to the rules and in the following articles we will definitely get acquainted with them.

I hope now everything is clear to you with animate faces, but what about inanimate objects? It's hard enough to guess what gender an inanimate object would be in Spanish! Try to guess the gender of the following words in Spanish:

Male or female?

Book
- house
- money
- window

Do not try to draw a parallel with words in Russian or with your personal associations. It still won't work!

Try to guess! Do you think the word "tie" in Spanish is masculine or feminine? You might assume that “tie” must be masculine, as in Russian, especially since this piece of clothing belongs to the male wardrobe. However, the word "tie" in Spanish is feminine!

la corbata - tie

When you learn a new noun, be sure to learn the article with which it is used - this will help you determine the gender of the noun and avoid mistakes in speech! Not all nouns ending in -a are feminine. Moreover, nouns in Spanish do not always end in -o or -a, which further complicates the definition of gender. The definite articles (el, la) are the key to determining the gender of a noun.

Does it matter in Spanish what gender a noun belongs to?

Great question! The genders of nouns are no less important in Spanish than in Russian. For example, the endings of adjectives change according to the gender of the noun they refer to, but we will talk about this in another article.

Julia Sheina,
June 2015