Género y número de los sustantivos (Gender and Number of Nouns)

El género gramatical

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In Spanish, unlike in English, los sustantivos (nouns) are classified into either masculine or feminine. In most cases, looking at the last vowel of the word can help us determine this. In the case of nouns referring to inanimate objects, there is no relation to biological gender beyond the word, it is simply grammatical gender. There are several clues that can help us determine the gender of inanimate nouns:

• Most masculine ♂️nouns end in –o (el libro 📕– the book)
• Most feminine ♀️nouns end in –a (la mesa – the table)
• Most nouns that end in –ción, –sión, –ez, –tud, –dad, and –tad are feminine (la información ℹ️- the information)
• Most nouns that end in –ma, –pa, –ta, –aje, and –or are masculine ♂️(el programa → the program, el problema → the problem)

There are exceptions to these rules, as you will see throughout the entirety of the Spanish language, for example:

• Nouns that end in –e or –l can either be masculine ♂️or feminine ♀️, such as, el coche 🚙→ the car, la piel → the skin.

• Some nouns, like el agua 💧, appear feminine ♀️and use feminine adjectives but, in the singular, use the masculine ♂️definite article for phonetic reasons. El agua in the plural becomes las aguas 💦.
• There are some nouns that end in –o that are feminine ♀️, like la mano ✋, la moto 🏍️, and la foto 🖼️. In the case of moto and foto, this happens because they are short for motocicleta (ends in –ta) and fotografía. However, there are some nouns that end in –a that are masculine ♂️, such as el día 🌞 - the day and el sofá 🛋️- the sofa.

It is important that when you learn a new word you also learn its grammatical gender.

For nouns referring to animated objects (living beings), Spanish also uses masculine ♂️and femenine ♀️endings that refer to the biological gender of the object to which we are referring, for example la niña 👩🏻‍🦱(the girl), el niño 👦🏽(the boy).

There are also animated nouns that are invariable, that is, they have one form for both genders, for example estudiante (student). In this case, the gender is expressed with the article:

• el/un estudiante 👨🏻‍🎓(masc.)
• la/una estudiante 👩🏽‍🎓(fem.)

Note that for animated nouns there are alternative endings that do not follow this binary distinction. Please check the section below for an explanation of inclusive language (Sustantivos animados y lenguaje inclusivo).

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El número gramatical

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In Spanish, los sustantivos also have a number: singular (one) or plural (more than one). In order to make a noun plural you must add an –s to words that end in a vowel (la casa 🏠→ las casas 🏘️) and add –es to words ending in a consonant (el papel 📄→ los papeles 📄📄). Notice how el artículo (the article) changes to match the number.

For los artículos definidos (definite articles), which we know as the in English, they will be:

• el (masculine singular) → los (masc. plural)
• la (feminine singular) → las (fem. plural)

For los artículos indefinidos (indefinite articles), which we know as a and an in English, they will be:

• un (masculine singular) → unos (masc. plural)
• una (feminine singular) → unas (fem. plural)

Los artículos definidos e indefinidos additionally specify whether the identity of the noun is known to us, meaning that it is specified (definite), or unspecified (indefinite). For example, if you say “I need the map 🗺️” you are referring to a specific, identified map. However, if you were to say “I need a map” then we don’t know what map it is, it hasn’t been identified, it could be any map, and the person you’re speaking to, most likely, might not know what specific map you require. In Spanish, it’s almost the same concept, except the fact that while in English you only have one definite article (the), in Spanish you have four definite (el, la, los, las) and four indefinite (un, una, unos, unas) because they depend on the gender of the noun. For example:

• Specified: Quiero tomar la clase de español intensivo.

I want to take the intensive Spanish class.

• Unspecified: Quiero tomar una clase de español. 

I want to take a Spanish class.

Notice how in the first sentence, we are being very specific about which Spanish class we want to take but in our second sentence we are not being specific, we are simply stating that we want to take a Spanish class but express no preference as to which we would want to take.

Note: Gender and number agreement (concordancia) is imperative in Spanish.

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Sustantivos animados y lenguaje inclusivo (Animated Nouns and Inclusive Language)

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As mentioned in the previous section, Spanish is a gendered language that makes a distinction between masculine and feminine nouns. Regarding inanimate nouns, this distinction is inherent to the grammatical gender of the word, there is no connection to a biological gender beyond it. When it comes to animate nouns (living beings), however, the binary distinction is connected to biological gender. Through the use of inclusive language this binary distinction can be avoided, and non-binary identities can be expressed, instead. Inclusive language in Spanish is a way of speaking and writing that aims to include all genders and avoid using words or expressions that could exclude or marginalize people.

Instead of using “-o” or “-a” endings, you may use “-e”, “-@”, or “-x”. For example: niñes (children), tod@s (everyone), amigxs (friends). In terms of pronunciation, “-@” and “-x” can pose difficulties given the phonetic particularities of Spanish, and therefore, “-e” is currently one of the most widely used inclusive language endings, both in speaking and writing: les niñes, todes, les amigues. Note that, when using inclusive language, agreement is still imperative, and therefore, articles, adjectives, and anything else modifying the noun must be adjusted accordingly:

• Les amigues 👫son divertides. 😜

• The friends are fun.

• Les estudiantes 🧑🏽‍🎓🧑🏻‍🎓son altes. 📏

• The students are tall.

It's important to note that inclusive language hasn’t officially been accepted as part of Spanish grammar, however, its use by certain sectors of the population is becoming more and more widespread in efforts to promote diversity and equality.