How to use usted in Spanish?
Usted in Spanish. If you want to learn how to use usted in Spanish, you need to know the difference between usted and tú. Tú vs Usted.
Do you find it difficult to tell when a Spanish word is feminine or masculine? We know that learning the gender of all Spanish words can be quite a challenge. That's why Enforex has put together the perfect article to help you understand the genders of Spanish words and distinguish between feminine and masculine.
Feminine and masculine gender
Grammatical gender in Spanish is essential because all words have one, specifically nouns and adjectives. This gender is reflected in the form of the word and in the articles that accompany it.
As a general rule, when you start learning Spanish in Spain, you may think that all words ending in -o are masculine and all those ending in -a are feminine. Although this rule is true and can be applied to 80% of cases, it is not always the case.
Words such as hermano/hermana, gato/gata, and niño/niña follow this rule, in which the gender change is achieved simply by changing the final vowel. However, there are some words, such as estudiante, actor, and bolso, to which this rule cannot be applied.
Below, you will find the feminine and masculine in Spanish forms of some words that do not follow this general rule.
Irregular words
Some Spanish words do not follow the -o/-a pattern and have completely different forms for the Spanish feminine and masculine genders. In these cases, there is no choice but to learn them, as there is no rule you can follow. Some examples are:
| FEMENINE | MASCULINE |
| La actriz | El actor |
| La vaca | El toro |
| La yegua | El caballo |
| La reina | El rey |
| La mujer | El hombre |
As you can see, in this type of irregular words, the article accompanies the gender of the word: la for feminine and el for masculine; so, this can be a good way to learn the feminine and masculine genders of words.
Common gender words
Common gender words do not change their form, and the gender is determined simply by the article or the context in which the word is used. Here are some examples:
| FEMENINE | MASCULINE |
| La estudiante | El estudiante |
| La cantante | El cantante |
| La artista | El artista |
| La gerente | El gerente |
| Inteligente | Inteligente |
| Amable | Amable |
These types of words remain the same regardless of whether they are feminine or masculine in Spanish, and it is the article that indicates the gender. For example, in the case of inteligente (intelligent), it will be determined by the context. In the sentence: “Tu prima es inteligente, siempre resuelve el problema a la primera” (Your cousin is intelligent, she always solves the problem on the first try), the word inteligente is feminine because it refers to your cousin. The same goes for words such as amable (kind), feliz (happy), or triste (sad).
Special rules for feminine and masculine in Spanish
Although you already know the general rule (-a for feminine and -p for masculine), there are exceptions. Below, we explain the most common ones.
There are words that are masculine and end in -a, for example: el poema (the poem), el planeta (the planet), el sofá (the sofa), or el día (the day). And there are also words that end in -o and are feminine: la moto (the motorcycle), la mano (the hand), la radio (the radio), la foto (the photo).
It is important to note that there are words that do not have both genders, only one of them, so they do not need to change to feminine or masculine. Among them we find: la mesa (the table), el árbol (the tree), or la sal (the salt).
You may also come across words such as suelo and suela, in which only the ending changes (-a and -o), but which are not related to each other and do not share the same meaning. These types of words do not change gender and, in fact, have completely different meanings, which can be confusing.
Here are some words that follow this pattern:
El suelo is the flat surface of the floor, while la suela refers to the bottom of a shoe. Examples: “Barrí el suelo de la cocina” (I swept the kitchen floor) and “Se rompió la suela de mis botas” (The sole of my boots broke).
El velo is a thin cloth that covers the head, commonly used in weddings or religion. Meanwhile, la vela can refer to a wax object with a wick used for lighting, as well as a part of a boat.
And what about caballo? You probably know that this animal has a feminine form, but it's not caballa. The feminine form of caballo, the animal, is yegua, while caballa is a type of fish that is very popular in Spain.
Another example would be granizado and granizada. If you're hot in summer, the best thing to do is have a granizado, a drink made with ice. But if you get caught in a granizada on the street, it's best to take shelter, as it's a weather phenomenon in which pieces of ice fall along with the rain.
There are also cases of words that have different meanings depending on the gender of the article you put in front of them. For example, the word cometa. El cometa is a celestial body in space, while la cometa is a toy that flies in the wind. Examples:
- El cometa Halley pasa cada 76 años (Halley's Comet passes every 76 years)
- Los niños volaron la cometa en el parque (The children flew the kite in the park)
This also happens with cura. El cura refers to a priest, and la cura is a medical treatment. Example: “El cura dio la misa el domingo” (The priest said Mass on Sunday) and “Encontraron la cura para la enfermedad” (They found a cure for the disease).
El capital is money or economic resources. And la capital refers to the main city of a country or region. Examples: “El empresario invirtió el capital inicial” (The businessman invested the initial capital) and “Madrid es la capital de España” (Madrid is the capital of Spain).
El pendiente is an accessory worn on the ear, and la pendiente is the slope or incline of a piece of land.
- Perdí el pendiente de oro de mi abuela (I lost my grandmother's gold earring)
- Subimos la pendiente con dificultad (We climbed the slope with difficulty)
These words are different nouns with their own meanings, even though they share the same root. Therefore, gender is essential to know what is being talked about in each conversation.
Exercises with feminine and masculine in Spanish
As a bonus to see if you have understood everything Enforex has explained in the article, here are some exercises for you to choose the article and gender of each word. Find the answers below!
- ___ problema
- ___ casa
- ___ joven
- ___ día
- ___ mano
- ___ coche
- ___ verdad
- ___ artista
- ___ color
- ___ televisión
- ___ idioma
- ___ clase
- ___ profesor
- ___ flor
- ___ inteligente
We hope this article on feminine and masculine in Spanish has helped you understand how to differentiate between them, what types there are, and understand their dynamics. And if you still have questions, you can sign up for one of our intensive Spanish courses. Our teachers will help you with gender and number in Spanish.
Correct answers: el problema (masculine), la casa (feminine), el joven (masculine), el día (masculine), la mano (feminine), el coche (masculine), la verdad (feminine), el/la artista (can be masculine or feminine depending on the context), el color (masculine), la televisión (feminine), el idioma (masculine), la clase (feminine), el profesor (masculine), la flor (feminine), and el/la inteligente, since it is an adjective and its gender depends on the noun it accompanies.
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