Post on 22-Apr-2015
Gender and Number of Nouns
This is a photo from Tikal, a Guatemalan national park dedicated to the preservation of the Tikal ruins left behind by the Mayas. Learn more about the Maya nation or this incredible archeological site for extra credit.
The basics• NOUNS, their articles, and the adjectives that
modify them have grammatical gender and number (Aka. Masculine/feminine & singular/plural).– (*Reminder: A noun is a person, place, thing or idea)
• Animate beings– Grammatical gender is determined by biological
gender.• Inanimate beings– Grammatical gender has no “rhyme or reason.”
• El libro is masculine “just because.”• La silla is feminine “just because.”
Articles• There are two types: definite and indefinite.• They will be masculine or feminine AND singular or plural.
– They MUST match the noun they accompany in gender/#.• In English, the definite article is “the”
– In Spanish, they are El, La, Los, and Las• In English, the indefinite articles are “a” and “some”
– In Spanish, they are Un, Una, Unos, and Unas• The difference is…. Definite articles imply specific
person(s)/place(s)/thing(s), whereas with indefinite articles, it is much less specific.– For example:
• Definite – I went to the library to get THE book.– Here, you have a specific book in mind.
• Indefinite – I went to the library to get A book.– Here, you do NOT have a specific book in mind.
Masculino-Singular
El The
Un A
• Masculine words typically end in -O or in a consonant.
• Words that end in -E are also usually masculine, but this guide is not as dependable as the others.
Masculino-singular: Ejemplos
THE ALibro
Pupitre
Pizarrón
Gimnasio
Reloj
El
El
El
El
El
Un
Un
Un
Un
Un
¿Por qué?-O
-O
-E
-consonante
-consonante
Feminino-Singular
La The
Una A
• Feminine words typically end in -A or in –IÓN or -AD.
Feminino-singular: Ejemplos
THE ASilla
Chica
Comunidad
Ciudad
Situación
La
La
La
La
La
Una
Una
Una
Una
Una
¿Por qué?-A
-AD
-A
-IÓN
-AD
Articles: Masculino-Plural
Los The
Unos Some
Masculino-plural: Ejemplos
THE SOMELibros
Pupitres
Pizarrones**see next page
Gimnasios
Relojes
Los
Los
Los
Los
Los
Unos
Unos
Unos
Unos
Unos
To pluralize: Add “S” to words that end in a vowel, and “ES” to words that end in a consonant.
Articles: Feminino-Plural
Las The
Unas Some
THE SOMESillas
Chicas
Comunidades
Ciudades
Situaciones*
Las
Las
Las
Las
Las
Unas
Unas
Unas
Unas
Unas
* The accent is dropped from words with an accent on the final syllable when they are pluralized because the stress naturally falls on that letter now.
Feminino-plural: Ejemplos
Excepciones• Some words go against the “rules” and
therefore must be learned through practice.– Some masculine words that look feminine:
• El día, el mapa, el matamoscas, el aguafiestas
– Some feminine words that look masculine: • La tarde, la noche, la clase, la pared
• Words ending in –E or –ISTA do not change based on gender, but their article does.– El estudiante vs. la estudiante– El dentista vs. la dentista– El artista vs. la artista
Singular Plural
DefinidosThere is a DEFINITE person/place/thingin mind
THE:El – masc.La – fem.
THE:Los – masc.Las – fem.
IndefinidosThere is NOT a definite person/place/thingin mind
A:Un – masc.Una – fem.
SOME:Unos – masc.Unas – fem.
Los artículos
Hay• Hay means “There is” or “There are”• It may be used in a question to ask “Is there?”
or “Are there?”• Hay is usually used with indefinite articles
rather than definite articles. • Ejemplos
• Hay una calculadora en mi pupitre.• Hay unos libros en la mesa.• Hay una profesora y unos estudiantes en la clase.• ¿Hay comida en la fiesta?
En una mochila hay…1. Unos
a. Estudiantes b. sillas c. libros d. escritorios
2. Unasa. Calculadoras b. sillas c. lápices d. hombres
3. Una. Cartera (wallet) b. cajita de tic tacs c. Teléfono celular d. profesor
4. Una a. Mujer b. Revista (magazine) c. cuaderno d. Disco compacto
Típicamente, ¿qué hay en un salón de clases?
1. Una. Pupitres b. chicas c. libros d. escritorio
2. Unosa. estudiantes b. profesora c. reloj d. banderas
3. Unasa. Calculadora b. mochilas c. Libros d. profesores
4. Una a. Plumas b. Diccionarios c. cuaderno d. papelera
Crédito extra• Print a copy of the SFCC campus map and
label the different places on campus using the vocabulary that you have learned.
• Use both the building number and the name of the place if it is something from our vocab. – Ej: Edificio 13 –
el estadio