Spanish nouns are marked for gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural), and these categories affect articles, adjectives, and sometimes other words in a sentence. This guide covers the basic rules and common patterns so you can keep everything in agreement.
Gender
Nouns are typically either masculine or feminine, and you can tell gender by the article that goes with the noun: el/la for singular and los/las for plural. Gender affects which adjectives and modifiers you use, so you have to learn nouns together with their gender.
Masculine
Masculine nouns usually end in -o and take el in the singular, but there are exceptions and some nouns that end differently stay masculine. Masculine nouns take los in the plural.
| Spanish Word(s) | English Word(s) | |
|---|---|---|
| el perro | the dog | |
| el libro | the book | |
| el niño | the boy | |
| el zapato | the shoe | |
| el gato | the cat |
the garden is next to the house
Feminine
Feminine nouns usually end in -a and take la in the singular, but there are exceptions and some nouns that end differently are feminine. Feminine nouns take las in the plural.
| Spanish Word(s) | English Word(s) | |
|---|---|---|
| la gata | the cat (female) | |
| la niña | the girl | |
| la escuela | the school | |
| la mano | the hand | |
| la casa | the house |
Number
Nouns are singular or plural, and you form the plural by adding -s or -es depending on the ending of the word. The article and any adjectives must agree in number with the noun. Plurals refer to more than one thing.
Singular
(No quiz for singular; it's the base form directly taught in plural formation.)
| Spanish Word(s) | English Word(s) | |
|---|---|---|
| el perro | the dog | |
| la gata | the cat | |
| el niño | the boy | |
| la niña | the girl | |
| el zapato | the shoe |
Plural
To make a noun plural, add -s if it ends in a vowel and -es if it ends in a consonant; the plural article changes to los or las. Adjectives must also change to their plural form to agree with the noun.
| Spanish Word(s) | English Word(s) | |
|---|---|---|
| los perros | the dogs | |
| las gatas | the cats | |
| los niños | the boys | |
| las niñas | the girls | |
| los zapatoes | the shoes |
Adjective Agreement
Adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe, so they change endings to match el/la and singular/plural forms. This agreement helps make sentences clear and natural.
Exceptions
Some nouns break the usual rules for gender and number, like nouns that end in -ma that are masculine or nouns that are the same in singular and plural; these exceptions must be learned individually. Dictionaries and practice help with exceptions.
Summary
Every noun has a gender (masculine or feminine) and a number (singular or plural) that determine which article and adjective forms you use. Learn nouns together with their article to remember gender, form plurals by adding -s or -es, and make adjectives agree in gender and number for clear sentences.
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025