Basic Nouns and Articles

Spanish nouns and articles are the building blocks of sentences. Understanding these basics is essential for speaking and writing correct Spanish.

Nouns

Nouns in Spanish have two important features:

1. Gender: Every noun is either masculine or feminine.
   • Masculine nouns often end in -o (e.g., “el libro” – the book)
   • Feminine nouns often end in -a (e.g., “la casa” – the house)
   • There are exceptions that you’ll need to learn (e.g., “el día” – the day, “la mano” – the hand)
2. Number: Nouns can be singular or plural.
   • Most plurals are formed by adding -s or -es to the singular
   • “el gato” (the cat) → “los gatos” (the cats)
   • “la ciudad” (the city) → “las ciudades” (the cities)

Articles

Articles in Spanish must match the nouns they go with in gender and number. There are two main types:

1. Definite Articles (the):
   • Masculine singular: el
   • Feminine singular: la
   • Masculine plural: los
   • Feminine plural: las
2. Indefinite Articles (a, an, some):
   • Masculine singular: un
   • Feminine singular: una
   • Masculine plural: unos
   • Feminine plural: unas

Example: “El gato negro” (The black cat) vs. “Una gata blanca” (A white cat)

Additional Concepts

• Neuter Article “lo”: Used with adjectives to create abstract nouns or ideas.Example: “lo bueno” (the good thing/what’s good)
• Regional Variations: Some nouns might have different genders or names in different Spanish-speaking places.
• Gender Assignment: While most nouns follow the usual gender patterns, some can be different depending on the region.

Understanding these basics about nouns and articles gives you a great start for learning more Spanish.