Masculine and Feminine Nouns: The Basics
Quick Answer: Most nouns ending in -o are masculine (el libro). Most nouns ending in -a are feminine (la mesa). Nouns ending in consonants, -e, or other vowels must be memorized, though patterns exist.
Why every Spanish noun has a gender and how to guess correctly
Category: Gender & Agreement
The Rule
Most nouns ending in -o are masculine (el libro). Most nouns ending in -a are feminine (la mesa). Nouns ending in consonants, -e, or other vowels must be memorized, though patterns exist.
Why This Matters
English doesn't assign gender to objects, so this is a brand new concept. The good news: the -o/-a pattern covers roughly 80% of nouns. The key is to always learn nouns with their article (el/la) from day one.
Examples
• el libro, el gato, el cielo — "the book, the cat, the sky" [Masculine: -o ending] • la mesa, la casa, la ventana — "the table, the house, the window" [Feminine: -a ending] • el coche, la noche — "the car, the night" [-e ending: must be memorized] • la ciudad, la verdad, la libertad — "the city, the truth, the freedom" [Nouns ending in -dad/-tad are feminine]
Common Mistakes
❌ la libro ✅ el libro → Libro ends in -o, so it's masculine: el libro. ❌ el problema ✅ el problema → This is actually CORRECT! Problema is one of the Greek-origin -ma words that are masculine despite ending in -a. See the exceptions seed.
Quick Tip
Always learn nouns as a pair with their article: 'el libro' not just 'libro.' Other feminine patterns: -ción (la nación), -sión (la decisión), -dad (la ciudad), -tad (la libertad), -tud (la virtud), -umbre (la costumbre).
Always learn nouns as a pair with their article: 'el libro' not just 'libro.' Other feminine patterns: -ción (la nación), -sión (la decisión), -dad (la ciudad), -tad (la libertad), -tud (la virtud), -umbre (la costumbre).
Examples
Common Mistakes
Incorrect: la libro → Correct: el libro. Libro ends in -o, so it's masculine: el libro.
Incorrect: el problema → Correct: el problema. This is actually CORRECT! Problema is one of the Greek-origin -ma words that are masculine despite ending in -a. See the exceptions seed.
Quiz
Which noun is feminine?