Gender of Nouns

1. Gender of Nouns Spanish I: Cap. 2

2. Don’t Forget: • A noun is a person, place, thing, or idea • In Spanish, all nouns are either masculine or feminine. Masculine NounsFeminine Nouns el libro la puerta el escritorio la cama el colegio la tarea

3. English vs. Spanish • The idea that nouns have gender seems perfectly natural when the noun stands for a living creature. This is because in English, living creatures often have different names depending on whether they are male or female. MasculineFeminine boy girl grandfather grandmother tiger tigress uncle aunt

4. English vs. Spanish (cont.) • Certain nouns that denote living things have both a masculine and feminine form in Spanish. MasculineFeminine el gato---- male cat la gata---- female cat el abuelo--- grandfather la abuela--- grandmother el padre-- father la madre--- mother El chico--- boy la chica--- girl

5. How are these masculine nouns alike? • El gato • El abuelo • El cuaderno • El libro • El carro • El armario • What does “el” mean?

6. How are these feminine nouns alike? • La abuela • La puerta • La calculadora • La ventana • La tarea • La chica • What does “la” mean?

7. Masculine vs. Feminine • Nouns that end in –o are usually masculine. • Nouns that end in –a are usually feminine. • Notice the word “usually.” There are exceptions to these two rules!

8. Don’t try this at home… or ever! • You can’t predict the gender of a noun, except in the case of living creatures. • Do not try to analyze the nature of an object to look for masculine or feminine qualities! IT WON’T WORK! • Dress is a masculine word in Spanish--- el vestido • Necktie is a feminine word in Spanish--- la corbata

9. But how can I tell if a noun is masculine or feminine? • When you learn a new noun, you MUST memorize its definite article (el or la).

10. Saquen los diccionarios… • Take out your dictionary. • Look up a Spanish noun that you know for sure is masculine. Do you notice any symbols or abbreviations that tell you the noun’s gender? • Now, look up a Spanish noun that you know is feminine. Are there any symbols or abbreviations that tell you the noun’s gender?

11. But whyyyyyy? (said in a really whiny tone) • Because you cannot predict the gender of most nouns. • Because not every noun that ends in an –o is masculine, and not every noun that ends in an –a is feminine. • Because many nouns end in letters other than –a and –o. • Because the definite article is your clue as to whether a noun is masculine or feminine.

12. But why should I care? • Good question! • As you will see in upcoming lessons, Spanish grammar places a great deal of emphasis on gender. • Let’s take a look at a particular case right now where the gender of nouns effects other words in the sentence. • Libro de texto p. 58