2.  A noun is a person, place, thing, or idea  In Spanish, all nouns are either masculine or feminine. Masculine NounsFeminine Nouns el librola puerta el escritoriola cama el colegiola tarea

3.  The idea that nouns have gender seems perfectly natural when the noun stands for a living creature. This is because in English, living creatures often have different names depending on whether they are male or female. MasculineFeminine boygirl grandfathergrandmother tigertigress uncleaunt

4.  Certain nouns that denote living things have both a masculine and feminine form in Spanish. Masculine Feminine el gato---- male cat la gata---- female cat el abuelo--- grandfather la abuela--- grandmother el padre-- father la madre--- mother El chico--- boy la chica--- girl

5.  El gato  El abuelo  El cuaderno  El libro  El carro  El armario  What does “el” mean?

6.  La abuela  La puerta  La calculadora  La ventana  La tarea  La chica  What does “la” mean?

7.  Nouns that end in –o are usually masculine.  Nouns that end in –a are usually feminine.  Notice the word “usually.” There are exceptions to these two rules!

8.  You can’t predict the gender of a noun, except in the case of living creatures.  Do not try to analyze the nature of an object to look for masculine or feminine qualities! IT WON’T WORK!  Dress is a masculine word in Spanish--- el vestido  Necktie is a feminine word in Spanish--- la corbata

9.  When you learn a new noun, you MUST memorize its definite article (el or la).

10.  Take out your dictionary.  Look up a Spanish noun that you know for sure is masculine. Do you notice any symbols or abbreviations that tell you the noun’s gender?  Now, look up a Spanish noun that you know is feminine. Are there any symbols or abbreviations that tell you the noun’s gender?

11.  Because you cannot predict the gender of most nouns.  Because not every noun that ends in an –o is masculine, and not every noun that ends in an –a is feminine.  Because many nouns end in letters other than –a and –o.  Because the definite article is your clue as to whether a noun is masculine or feminine.

12.  Good question!  As you will see in upcoming lessons, Spanish grammar places a great deal of emphasis on gender.  Let’s take a look at a particular case right now where the gender of nouns effects other words in the sentence. › Libro de texto p. 58