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Spanish 1 Unit 2: Nouns, articles and adjectives
Every Spanish noun is masculine or feminine, and articles and adjectives change to match it.
Covers: Gender of nouns, definite and indefinite articles, plurals, adjective agreement and placement
Study guide
Every Spanish noun has a gender: masculine or feminine. Most nouns ending in -o are masculine (el libro) and most ending in -a are feminine (la mesa). Nouns ending in -ción, -dad and -tad are feminine, while many ending in -ma are masculine (el problema). Some common exceptions must be memorized: el día, la mano, el mapa. For nouns ending in other letters, learn the gender with the word.
Articles match their nouns in gender and number. The definite articles ("the") are el (masculine singular), la (feminine singular), los (masculine plural) and las (feminine plural). The indefinite articles ("a/an," "some") are un, una, unos and unas.
To make nouns plural, add -s to words ending in a vowel (libro → libros) and -es to words ending in a consonant (ciudad → ciudades). A final -z changes to -c before -es (lápiz → lápices). A group with both masculine and feminine members uses the masculine plural.
Adjectives agree with the nouns they describe in both gender and number. Adjectives ending in -o have four forms (alto, alta, altos, altas). Adjectives ending in -e or a consonant usually change only for number (grande, grandes; azul, azules).
Most descriptive adjectives go after the noun: la casa grande, el coche rojo. Adjectives of quantity and number (mucho, poco, dos) go before. A few adjectives like bueno and malo can go before and shorten before masculine singular nouns (un buen amigo), and grande becomes gran with a change in meaning (un gran hombre, "a great man").
Common colors are rojo, azul, verde, amarillo, negro, blanco, gris, anaranjado, morado and marrón (or café). They follow the usual agreement rules: las camisas rojas, los zapatos azules. Nationality adjectives aren't capitalized and agree like other adjectives. Those ending in a consonant add -a for the feminine: español → española, inglés → inglesa (the accent drops), alemán → alemana.
Key ideas
- Most nouns ending in -o are masculine; most ending in -a are feminine (exceptions: el día, la mano).
- Definite articles: el, la, los, las. Indefinite: un, una, unos, unas.
- Plurals: add -s after a vowel, -es after a consonant.
- Adjectives match the noun in gender and number: el gato negro, las casas blancas.
- Most adjectives go after the noun.
Formulas and rules
Common mistakes
- Putting adjectives before nouns like in English (la roja casa).
- Forgetting to make adjectives plural (los libros rojo).
Words to know
- el
- the (m. sing.)
- la
- the (f. sing.)
- los
- the (m. pl.)
- las
- the (f. pl.)
- un
- a / an (m.)
- una
- a / an (f.)
- unos
- some (m.)
- unas
- some (f.)
- el chico / la chica
- the boy / the girl
- el hombre
- the man
- la mujer
- the woman
- el muchacho / la muchacha
- the young man / the young woman
- el profesor / la profesora
- the teacher
- el estudiante / la estudiante
- the student
- la persona
- the person
- el amigo / la amiga
- the friend
- el libro
- the book
- los libros
- the books
- la mesa
- the table
- el lápiz
- the pencil
- los lápices
- the pencils
- el día
- the day
- la mano
- the hand
- el problema
- the problem
- el mapa
- the map
- la ciudad
- the city
- la canción
- the song
- la flor
- the flower
- el árbol
- the tree
- la camisa
- the shirt
- simpático / simpática
- nice / friendly
- antipático / antipática
- unfriendly
- inteligente
- smart
- trabajador / trabajadora
- hardworking
- perezoso / perezosa
- lazy
- gracioso / graciosa
- funny
- serio / seria
- serious
- deportista
- athletic
- artístico / artística
- artistic
- estudioso / estudiosa
- studious
Sample practice questions
19 more questions like these, from level 1 to 5, are in the practice set.
Which article goes with "casa"?
- el
- la
- un
- los
Show the answer and steps
Answer: B) la
- casa ends in -a, so it's feminine.
- Singular feminine: la.
Which definite article goes with "mesa"?
- los
- las
- la
- el
Show the answer and steps
Answer: C) la
- "mesa" is feminine.
- la mesa.
How do you say "the black cats"?
- los negros gatos
- las gatos negras
- los gatos negros
- el gato negro
Show the answer and steps
Answer: C) los gatos negros
- Plural masculine: los gatos.
- Adjective after the noun and plural: negros.