1.4.- Formation of the feminine in Spanish nouns
When you have a masculine noun and you want to find the equivalent in the feminine form, there are some things that you can do, depending on the case.
In this section we talk about how the formation of the feminine nouns works in Spanish, both in the regular and in the irregular cases.
We also talk about some particular cases that you might find interesting.
Now you know how to form the feminine form of any noun in Spanish. It’s not so difficult, is it?
And now, let’s do this exercise to see if everything’s clear so far.
Exercise 2:
Great! You can now go to the next video. And, remember, if you still have doubts, you can always contact me on the support form.
VIDEO TIMELINE:
In this fourth section we talk about:
- Min 02:44 = Introduction. When can we have the feminine form of a noun?
- Min 05:14 = The regular cases:
- Min 05:14 = Nouns that end in the vowel -O.
- Min 06:38 = Nouns that end in a consonant + Nouns that suffer an orthographic transformation.
- Min 08:27 = The irregular cases:
- Min 08:27 = Nouns with the same form for the masculine and the feminine (only the article changes) + The most common cases.
- Min 11:13 = Invariable nouns (the article doesn’t change).
- Min 13:15 = Nouns with different forms for the masculine and the feminine.
- Min 14:31 = Some notes about the use of the masculine and the feminine in Spanish:
- Min 14:31 = Different meanings.
- Min 16:37 = The size and the shape.
- Min 17:47 = The trees and their fruits.
- Min 18:19 = Personal preferences.
- Min 18:52 = The woman in the professional world.
- Min 20:13 = My personal advice:
- Min 20:51 = Do not only learn the noun.
- Min 21:55 =Try to read, listen and speak in Spanish as much as you can.
- Min 22:23 = Summary.
FORMATION OF THE FEMININE
IN SPANISH NOUNS
When you have a masculine noun and you want to find the equivalent in the feminine form, there are some things that you can do, depending on the case.
In this section we talk about how the formation of the feminine nouns works in Spanish, both in the regular and in the irregular cases.
We also talk about some particular cases that you might find interesting.
These are the items that we discuss in this section:
1.- Introduction:
1.1.- When can we have the feminine form of a noun?
2.- The regular cases:
2.1.- Nouns that end in the vowel -O.
2.2.- Nouns that end in a consonant.
3.- The irregular cases:
3.1.- Nouns with the same form for the masculine and the feminine (only the article changes).
3.2.- Invariable nouns (the article doesn’t change).
3.3.- Nouns with different forms for the masculine and the feminine.
I will also share with you:
4.- Some notes about the use of the masculine and the feminine in Spanish:
4.1.- Different meanings:
Some nouns have a different meaning if used with the masculine or the feminine article.
4.2.- The size and the shape:
Sometimes the masculine or feminine form marks differences with respect to the size or shape of an object.
4.3.- The trees and their fruits:
Sometimes, the differentiation between male and female is also used to distinguish a type of tree from its fruits.
4.4.- Personal preferences:
For certain words, the use of the masculine or the feminine form may be a matter of preference.
4.5.- The woman in the professional world:
In some jobs or positions, we find that many people keep using the masculine form whilst other people prefer the new feminine form.
5.- My personal advice:
5.1.- Do not only learn the noun.
5.2.- Try to read, listen and speak in Spanish as much as you can.
1.- INTRODUCTION
1.1.- When can we have the feminine form of a noun?
Not all Spanish nouns have a masculine and a feminine form.
According to the ‘Diccionario Panhispánico de dudas’ (Pan-Hispanic Dictionary of Doubts) (RAE, 2005):
When the noun designates animated beings,
there is usually a specific form for each of the two grammatical genders,
in correspondence with the biological distinction of sexes
(masculine and feminine).
This distinction is marked either by the use of
distinctive gender suffixes
added to the same root, as in:
PROFESOR / PROFESORA
GATO / GATA
NENE /NENA
CONDE / CONDESA
ZAR / ZARINA
or by the use of words with different roots
according to the sex of the referent, as in:
HOMBRE / MUJER
CABALLO / YEGUA
YERNO / NUERA
If the referent of the noun is an inanimate thing,
it’s usually only masculine (CUADRO, CÉSPED, DÍA)
or only feminine (MESA, PARED, LIBIDO),
although there is a group of nouns that has both genders, the traditionally called ‘ambiguous nouns in terms of gender’ (nouns like ‘MAR’ or ‘MARATÓN’ ), that can be used in both the masculine and the feminine form without changing their meaning.).
So, we must keep in mind this general rule:
We can only have the masculine and the feminine form
of nouns that designate animated things.
Inanimate objects are usually only masculine or only feminine.
Only a small number of nouns
are ambiguous in terms of gender
(‘mar’, ‘maratón’).
2.- THE REGULAR CASES
2.1.- Nouns that end in the vowel -O
As we learned in previous sections, nouns that end with the letter -O are usually masculine (not all, but most of them).
In that case, if the masculine noun ends in the vowel -O, you only have to substitute the last letter -O for an -A to form the feminine, like in the following examples:
| MASCULINE (- O) | FEMININE (- A) |
|---|---|
| El alumno | La alumna |
| El perro | La perra |
| El propietario | La propietaria |
| Un secretario | Una secretaria |
| Un bolso | Una bolsa |
| Un diputado | Una diputada |
This is the easiest and the most regular way of forming the feminine, but not the only one.
Some nouns ending in -O, like ‘modelo’ or ‘testigo’, or nouns ending in other vowels, like ‘turista’ or ‘intérprete’ belong to one of the irregular cases that we will see next.
2.2.- Nouns that end in a consonant
If the masculine noun ends in a consonant, you only have to add a letter -A, like in the following examples:
| MASCULINE | FEMININE |
|---|---|
| El español | La española |
| El señor | La señora |
| El andaluz | La andaluza |
SPECIAL CASE: Nouns that suffer an orthographic transformation
Nouns of professions, of people in general, and names of some animals that end in:
-ÉS
-ÁN
-ÍN
-ÓN
are masculine and suffer
an orthographic transformation
when creating the feminine form .
They add the letter -A
to create the feminine form
and drop the accent mark
-ESA
-ANA
-INA
-ONA
Let’s see some examples of this:
| MASCULINE | FEMININE | |
|---|---|---|
| -ÉS / -ESA | El francés | La francesa |
| Un japonés | Una japonesa | |
| -ÁN / -ANA | El guardián | La guardiana |
| Un alemán | Una alemana | |
| -ÍN / -INA | El bailarín | La bailarina |
| Un pequeñín | Una pequeñina | |
| -ÓN / -ONA | El campeón | La campeona |
| Un león | Una leona |
3.- IRREGULAR CASES
3.1.- Nouns with the same form for the masculine and the feminine (only the article changes)
Some nouns have the same form and are spelled the same for both the masculine and the feminine form.
In this case we only have to change the article to form the feminine form.
The articles and adjectives, if expressed, normally agree in gender and number with the noun.
In English, the gender of this type of noun would be clarified by the context.
These are some examples:
| MASCULINE | FEMININE | |
|---|---|---|
| EL / LA + Noun | El joven | La joven |
| El modelo rubio | La modelo rubia | |
| UN / UNA + Noun | Un testigo | Una testigo |
| Un turista extranjero | Una turista extranjera |
Let’s see how it works in the next sentences:
El joven modelo fue testigo del robo a un turista.
La joven modelo fue testigo del robo a una turista.
In the first case, both persons are masculine, whereas in the second one, both persons are feminine.
The most common cases:
The most common cases in this category are nouns designating
professions and individuals that end with the letters:
-A
-ANTE
-E
-ISTA
In general, they may designate either a male or a female person:
The articles and adjectives, if expressed,
normally agree in gender and number with the noun.
Let’s see some examples:
| MASCULINE | FEMININE | |
|---|---|---|
| -A | El atleta | La atleta |
| Un aristócrata español | Una aristócrata española | |
| -ANTE | El cantante | La cantante |
| Un vigilante armado | Una vigilante armada | |
| -E | El intérprete | La intérprete |
| Un jinete sueco | Una jinete sueca | |
| -ISTA | El periodista | La periodista |
| Un deportista ganador | Una deportista ganadora |
3.2.- Invariable nouns (the article doesn’t change)
Some nouns only have one form but they designate both male and female individuals.
Some of them are in the masculine form and others are in the feminine form, but they never change, they remain the same. They can be used for talking about a masculine or a feminine noun.
The article doesn’t change in these invariable nouns.
Let’s see some examples:
| ÁNGEL (m) | Él / Ella es muy buena persona, es un ángel |
| PERSONAJE (m) | Él / Ella interpreta al personaje más difícil |
| SER (m) | Él / Ella es un ser humano muy sensible |
| ESTRELLA (f) | Él / Ella es una estrella del rock |
| PERSONA (f) | Él / Ella es una persona muy buena |
| VÍCTIMA (f) | Él / Ella ha sido la víctima del robo |
Let’s analyze the following sentences:
Esa mujer era muy bondadosa, era un ángel.
Él era el mejor actor, la estrella de la película.
“Mujer” is a feminine noun, but “ángel” is always a masculine noun, it’s always used in the masculine form even though it’s referring to a woman.
On the other side, “Actor” is a masculine noun, but “estrella» is always a feminine noun, it’s always used in the feminine form, even though, in this case, it’s referring to a man.
3.3.- Nouns with different forms for the masculine and the feminine
Some nouns referring to people or animals may have different forms for the masculine and feminine.
The articles, of course, change with the gender.
Note the similarities of some of the English equivalents:
| SPANISH | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| El actor / La actriz | The actor / The actress |
| El caballo / La yegua | The horse / The mare |
| El conde / La condesa | The count / The countess |
| El emperador / La emperatriz | The emperor / The empress |
| El héroe / La heroína | The hero / The heroine |
| El hombre / La mujer | The man / The woman |
Here we have more examples:
| SPANISH | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| El marido, El esposo / La esposa | The husband / The wife |
| El padre / La madre | The father / The mother |
| El príncipe / La princesa | The prince / The princess |
| El rey / La reina | The king / The queen |
| El varón / La hembra | The male / The female |
| El yerno / La nuera | The son-in-law / The daughter-in-law |
4.- SOME NOTES ABOUT THE USE OF THE MASCULINE AND THE FEMININE IN SPANISH
4.1.- Different meanings
Some nouns have a different meaning if used with the masculine or the feminine article.
The change in the gender involves a change in the meaning of that noun, even though the word is spelled the same.
Here are some examples:
| SPANISH | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| El capital / La capital | The capital (money) / The capital (city) |
| El cometa / La cometa | The comet (astronomical object) / The kite (toy) |
| El corte / La corte | The cut (knife) / The court (institution) |
| El cura / La cura | The priest (cleric) / The cure (healing) |
| El editorial / La editorial | The newspaper editorial (article) / The publishing house (company) |
Here we have more examples:
| SPANISH | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| El frente / La frente | The front (battle) / The forehead (body) |
| El guía / La guía | The guide (person) / The guidebook (object) |
| El orden / La orden | The order (in a sequence) / The order (command) |
| El Papa / La papa | The Pope (head of the Church) / The potato (food) |
| El policía / La policía | The police officer (person) / The police force (institution) |
4.2.- The size and the shape:
Sometimes the masculine or the feminine form is not only used to mark gender differences but also to mark differences with respect to the size or shape of an object.
This is the case of :
EL CESTO / LA CESTA
The translation in both cases is “basket”, but “cesto” is a larger basket, taller than wide, while “cesta” is a regular wicker basket.
We have the opposite case in “El cubo / La cuba”:
EL CUBO / LA CUBA
“Cubo” is a bucket, a cylindrical open container with a handle, made of metal or plastic and used to hold and carry liquids.
“Cuba” is a barrel, a cylindrical container bulging out in the middle, traditionally made of wooden staves with metal hoops round them, and it’s usually bigger than a bucket.
4.3.- The trees and their fruits:
Differentiation between male and female is also used to distinguish a type of tree from its fruits.
For instance:
EL MANZANO is the tree, LA MANZANA is the fruit.
EL NARANJO is the tree, LA NARANJA is the fruit.
EL AVELLANO is the tree, LA AVELLANA is the fruit.
4.4.- Personal preferences:
For certain words, the use of the masculine or the feminine form may be a matter of preference.
For example:
EL MAR / LA MAR
Most of the people use the masculine form, “el mar”, to talk about the sea, but seamen, sailors or fishermen usually prefer to use the feminine form “la mar” because it’s more emotional, more romantic.
4.5.- The woman in the professional world:
Nowadays, watching a female doctor or a woman in a position like Congresswoman, Prime Minister or President is perfectly normal.
But in many Spanish-speaking countries these positions were exclusive for men in the not so distant past and we only had the masculine version of the word.
So now that we can see women in these jobs or positions we find that many people keep using the masculine form whilst other people prefer the new feminine form.
For example:
LA MINISTRO / LA MINISTRA
LA PRESIDENTE / LA PRESIDENTA
LA MÉDICO / LA MÉDICA
In some areas of the Hispanic world, a woman appointed to a president’s cabinet is called “la ministro” and in others, “la ministra”.
Similarly, we see “la presidente” or “la presidenta”, as well as “la médico” or “la médica”.
You will learn these preferences as you read up-to-date newspapers and magazines and listen to native speakers from different regions.
5.- MY PERSONAL ADVICE
As you can see, in the formation of the feminine in Spanish nouns there are many rules and exceptions.
It is important to learn them as accurately as possible, but, please, don’t feel overwhelmed. Learning a new language is a process that takes time.
The moment you put these rules into practice, reading, listening or speaking in Spanish is when you will learn them best.
That’s why I give you these two tips that I think will help you a lot in learning these concepts better and faster:
5.1.- Do not only learn the noun
When you learn a new noun, do not only learn the noun (for instance ‘conductor’, ‘vendedora’ or ‘pañuelo’). Try to learn it accompanied by the article that corresponds to it (in this case, ‘el conductor’, ‘la vendedora’ or ‘el pañuelo’).
Try also to ask yourself if there is an equivalent in the opposite gender:
‘el conductor‘ is a masculine noun, whose feminine form is ‘la conductora‘.
‘la vendedora‘ is a feminine noun, whose masculine form is ‘el vendedor‘.
‘el pañuelo‘ is a masculine noun that does not have an equivalent in the feminine form because it is an inanimate object, it does not designate an animated being.
5.2.- Try to read, listen and speak in Spanish as much as you can
Whenever you can, try to read newspapers or books in Spanish, watch movies and talk to people who speak Spanish. Take any opportunity to practice, because continuous practice is the only way to learn a new language really well and to see how the lessons you study here are put into practice.
SUMMARY
In this fourth section, we have studied the formation of the feminine nouns in Spanish.
These are the items that we have studied in this section:
1.- Introduction:
1.1.- When can we have the feminine form of a noun?
2.- The regular cases:
2.1.- Nouns that end in the vowel -O.
2.2.- Nouns that end in a consonant.
3.- The irregular cases:
3.1.- Nouns with the same form for the masculine and the feminine (only the article changes).
3.2.- Invariable nouns (the article doesn’t change).
3.3.- Nouns with different forms for the masculine and the feminine.
I have also shared with you:
4.- Some notes about the use of the masculine and the feminine in Spanish:
4.1.- Different meanings:
Some nouns have a different meaning if used with the masculine or the feminine article.
4.2.- The size and the shape:
Sometimes the masculine or feminine form marks differences with respect to the size or shape of an object.
4.3.- The trees and their fruits:
Sometimes, the differentiation between male and female is also used to distinguish a type of tree from its fruits.
4.4.- Personal preferences:
For certain words, the use of the masculine or the feminine form may be a matter of preference.
4.5.- The woman in the professional world:
In some jobs or positions, we find that many people keep using the masculine form whilst other people prefer the new feminine form.
5.- My personal advice:
5.1.- Do not only learn the noun.
5.2.- Try to read, listen and speak in Spanish as much as you can.
And this is the end of this section.
Thank you for watching!
I’ll see you in the next video!
Lesson 1: gender of nouns in Spanish
1.0.- Gender of nouns in Spanish: Introduction
1.1.- Gender of nouns in Spanish
1.2.- Masculine nouns and their endings in Spanish
1.3.- Feminine nouns and their endings in Spanish
1.4.- Forming the feminine nouns in Spanish
1.5.- Lesson 01 Evaluation Test