In the previous lessons we learned that Spanish nouns have two common endings: a for the feminine gender and o for the masculine gender.
un perro
una ventana
Besides, nouns can have a great variety of other endings. And it is absolutely normal for the Spanish language. In this case, we usually don’t know what gender a word belongs to. It’s important to memorize the gender of these nouns together with their meaning and articles.
un coche
un autobús
una flor
una pared
There are some special words that can lead to misconception. Some of them end with o, but their gender is feminine. The others end with a, but their gender is masculine.
We will call these nouns exceptions, or irregular nouns.
The number of such nouns is quite reduced. These are the most common ones:
una mano – a hand
una radio – a radio
una moto – a motorcycle
una foto – a photo
The number of these nouns is larger.
un sofá – a sofa
un mapa – a map
un día – a day
un guía – a guide
un tranvía – a tram
un planeta – a planet
Now you can understand why you should say “buenos días” instead of “buenas días”.
There are words that have some common endings which point to the masculine gender. These nouns are not originally Spanish.
-ma
un problema – a problem
un sistema – a system
un tema – a theme
un drama – a drama
un idioma – a language
-ista
un turista – a tourist
un taxista – a taxi driver
un futbolista – a football player
Try it yourself:
What is this?
This is a couch
What is this?
This is a hand
Is this a motorbike?
Yes, this is a motorbike
Is this a problem?
No, this is not a problem
The list of nouns that end with -ma and -ista is longer than it was represented here. You will find more very soon.
For now, just don’t say “una problema” or “un moto”.
Ejercicio 1
Say these words with an indefinite article
a motorbike
a couch
a photo
a planet
a map
a radio
a program
a theme
a hand
a problem
a language
Ejercicio 2
Translate from Spanish into English
1. ¿Qué es esto? — Esto es una foto
2. ¿Qué es esto? — Esto es un sofá
3. ¿Es esto una mano? — Sí, esto es una mano
4. ¿Es esto un mapa? — Sí, esto es un mapa
5. ¿Es esto un idioma? — No, esto no es un idioma
6. ¿Es esto un planeta? — No, esto no es un planeta
7. ¿Es esto una radio? — No, esto no es una radio. Esto es una tele
8. ¿Es esto un cuadro? — No, esto es una foto
9. ¿Es esto un sofá? — No, esto no es un sofá. Esto es un sillón
10. ¿Es esto una moto? — Sí, esto es una moto
Ejercicio 3
Translate into Spanish
What is this?
This is a map
Is this a map?
Yes, this is a map
What is this?
This is a hand
Is this a hand?
Yes, this is a hand
What is this?
This is a radio
Is this a TV?
No, this is not a TV
This is a radio
What is this?
This is a painting
Is this a photo?
No, this is not a photo
This is a painting
What is this?
This is a bicycle
Is this a motorbike?
No. This is a bicycle