Spanish Nouns & Articles
Discover what nouns are, why every Spanish noun is masculine or feminine, how to make plurals, and meet the little words that always come before them: the articles.
What is a Noun?
A noun (un sustantivo) is a word that names a person, an animal, a place, a thing or an idea. Tap 🔊 to hear each word in Spanish.
Gender: Masculine & Feminine
Unlike English, all Spanish nouns are either masculine or feminine. This is a grammar category, not a real one — a table isn't "female"! The good news: the ending of the word usually gives you a clue.
🤔 Endings in -e or a consonant: no fixed rule
Some nouns end in -e or a consonant (-l, -r, -z…). They can be masculine or feminine, so learn them together with their article.
⚠️ Watch out! Common exceptions
These everyday words break the -o / -a rule. Learners use them all the time, so memorise them early!
👫 People and animals
For people and many animals, the gender follows the real person or animal. Often you just change -o → -a or add -a. Some words stay the same and only the article changes.
Number: Singular & Plural
To talk about more than one thing, we make the noun plural. Remember: the article changes too — el → los and la → las.
Ends in a vowel → add -s
Ends in a consonant → add -es
Ends in -z → change to -ces
The accent mark can disappear or appear
Ends in unstressed -s → no change
Meet the Articles
Articles are the small words that go before a noun. In Spanish they must match the noun in gender (masculine / feminine) and number (singular / plural). There are two families:
🌟 Three special cases
Mixed groups → masculine
A group of men and women uses the masculine plural: los padres = mum and dad; los niños = boys and girls.
el agua (but feminine!)
Feminine nouns that start with a stressed a- take el / un in the singular, just to sound better: el agua fría, but las aguas.
al & del
a + el = al → Voy al parque.
de + el = del → La casa del profesor. (With la, los, las there is no change.)
💡 Tips to Master Spanish Nouns
- Learn the article with the noun: don't learn "casa", learn "la casa". It saves you guessing later.
- -o is usually masculine, -a usually feminine: but remember the famous exceptions: el día, el mapa, la mano, la foto.
- Easy points: words ending in -ción, -sión, -dad and -tud are feminine — always.
- Greek words in -ma are masculine: el problema, el tema, el idioma, el programa.
- Articles copy the noun: masculine or feminine, singular or plural — they always match.
- Use colours in your notebook: one colour for masculine words and another for feminine words. Your memory will thank you!
- Read the article, not the ending: when you see "el" or "la" in a text, notice the noun's gender and say it out loud.
Resumen en español
Los sustantivos nombran personas, animales, lugares, cosas e ideas. En español todos los sustantivos tienen género (masculino o femenino) y número (singular o plural). Normalmente las palabras en -o son masculinas y las palabras en -a son femeninas, pero hay excepciones como el día o la mano. Para formar el plural añadimos -s después de vocal y -es después de consonante. Los artículos (el, la, los, las / un, una, unos, unas) siempre concuerdan con el sustantivo.
Practice Time
Four activities, from easy to creative. Check your answers as you go — your points are added to the bar below.
Masculine or feminine?
Drag each noun into the el or la box. On a phone you can also tap a word, then tap a box. Careful — some are exceptions! 😉
Make it plural
Write the plural form with its article (e.g. el gato → los gatos). Don't worry about accents — we'll accept them either way.
Pick the right article
Read the sentence and the English clue, then choose the article that matches the noun.
What's in your bag? 👜
Write 4 things you have in your bag right now, using un, una, unos or unas. Use a dictionary if you need it!
Model answer · En mi bolso tengo…
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