Spanish Gender and Articles: el, la, los, las, un, una
Every Spanish noun is masculine or feminine, and the article must match it. Learn the endings, the common exceptions and when to use _el_ or _un_, then check yourself with quick exercises.
The rule
Masculine and feminine: -o and -a
- Most nouns in -o are masculine: el libro, el amigo
- Most nouns in -a are feminine: la casa, la mesa
- Nouns in -dad are feminine: la ciudad
- Common exceptions: el día, el mapa, el problema, la mano
- Other endings, learn them with the article: el coche, la noche
Definite el, la, los, las vs indefinite un, una, unos, unas
- Definite, a specific thing: el libro de Ana
- Indefinite, any one thing or new information: Tengo un libro.
- Masculine plural: los libros, unos libros
- Feminine plural: las casas, unas casas
Agreement: article + noun + adjective
- All words match in gender: la casa blanca
- All words match in number: los coches nuevos
- Exceptions still agree: un día bonito, las manos
- Mixed group of people is masculine: los amigos = Juan and Ana
Spanish articles
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Definite, masculine | el libro | los libros |
| Definite, feminine | la casa | las casas |
| Indefinite, masculine | un coche | unos coches |
| Indefinite, feminine | una mesa | unas mesas |
Learn the noun with its article
Never learn a noun alone. Say el día, la mano, el problema as one block, so the exceptions stick in your memory.
Common mistakes
- Saying la día or la problema because they end in -a. Correct: el día, el problema.
- Saying el mano because it ends in -o. Correct: la mano.
- Forgetting plural agreement: los casa. Correct: las casas.
Practise
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