Spanish Noun Gender and Plurals
Short answer
Most nouns ending in -o are masculine and most ending in -a are feminine, with a known set of exceptions (el problema, el día, la mano). Add -s after a vowel and -es after a consonant.
Level A1 · nouns
The rule in full
Every noun is masculine or feminine.
| Ending | Usually | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -o | masculine | el libro |
| -a | feminine | la casa |
| -ción, -sión, -dad, -tad | feminine | la canción, la ciudad |
| -ma (Greek origin) | masculine | el problema, el tema |
Plurals
| Word ends in | Add | Example |
|---|---|---|
| vowel | -s | libro → libros |
| consonant | -es | ciudad → ciudades |
| -z | -ces | lápiz → lápices |
Exceptions: el día, la mano, el mapa, la foto (from fotografía).
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