what is it?
Every Spanish noun has a grammatical gender — either masculine or feminine. Gender is not about biological sex; it is a grammatical property that affects the article (el / la), adjective endings, and other words that agree with the noun. Knowing a noun's gender is therefore essential from the very first words you learn.
when to use it
Gender applies every time you use a noun. The following conditions determine which gender a noun belongs to.
Nouns ending in -o are usually masculine: el libro, el bolígrafo.
Nouns ending in -a are usually feminine: la mesa, la silla.
Nouns ending in -e, a consonant, or another vowel have no reliable gender rule. Learn them together with their article: el coche, la clase, la ciudad.
Common exceptions break the -o/-a pattern and must be memorised individually (see the formation section below).
Heteronym pairs use different words for masculine and feminine: el padre / la madre, el hombre / la mujer.
formation
The general pattern links the noun's final letter to its gender and article.
| ending | gender | article | example | meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -o | masculine | el | el libro | the book |
| -a | feminine | la | la mesa | the table |
| -e | either — learn with article | el / la | el coche / la clase | the car / the class |
| consonant | either — learn with article | el / la | el hotel / la ciudad | the hotel / the city |
Several high-frequency nouns are exceptions to the -o/-a rule. They must be learned individually.
| noun | article | meaning | why notable |
|---|---|---|---|
| problema | el | problem | ends in -a but is masculine |
| día | el | day | ends in -a but is masculine |
| mano | la | hand | ends in -o but is feminine |
| foto | la | photo | short for fotografía — feminine |
A practical habit: whenever you learn a new noun, learn it with its article — el problema, not just problema. This makes exceptions automatic rather than something to recall under pressure.
examples in context
common pitfalls
Assuming every -a noun is feminine. Nouns of Greek origin ending in -ma — el problema, el programa, el tema — are masculine. Likewise, el día is masculine despite ending in -a. Saying «*la problema» or «*la día» is incorrect.
Assuming every -o noun is masculine. la mano and la foto are feminine even though they end in -o. «*el mano» is a common error that the article-with-noun habit prevents.
Guessing the gender of -e and consonant nouns. There is no reliable rule for nouns like el coche vs. la clase, or el hotel vs. la ciudad. Always store the article as part of the word from the start.
Three sentences, graded here. Nothing is saved and no account is needed.
En el aeropuerto, ___ guía nos explicó el horario del vuelo.
Fill in the blank with the correct article.