PRE: Lesson - Sustantivos: Masculine and Feminine

A set of wooden tiles spell the word Noun. Various other random letters surround the word.Sustantivos: Masculine and Feminine

Let's dive right into one of the most important grammar lessons that you will need to master as you learn to speak and write in Spanish. The topic at hand: nouns! In Spanish, nouns are called los sustantivos (English nouns are also formally called substantives, which is a derivative of the Spanish term).

One major difference between Spanish and English nouns is how gender is handled. English does not have a set of formal rules about gender: if something is naturally male, it is assumed to be masculine; likewise, naturally female nouns are assumed to be feminine, and naturally non-gendered nouns are assumed to be neuter. So, informally, in English, we see:

  • Boy = Masculine
  • Girl = Feminine
  • Book = Neuter

Spanish, on the other hand, only uses two genders: Masculine and Feminine. Every noun in Spanish is one of these two genders. What that means, in practice, is that we will see nouns in Spanish with a gender we wouldn't expect in English. Por ejemplo (for example):

  • la casa = house.
    • In Spanish, casa is a feminine noun, but in English, we would use the pronoun it (neuter) to describe a house.
  • el libro = book
    • In Spanish, libro is a masculine noun, but in English, we would use the pronoun it (neuter) to describe a book.

Did you notice a difference between the feminine noun and the masculine noun above? Let's learn more about how to distinguish gender in Spanish.

Video Lesson

A notebook and pen with ¡Toma apuntes! written on it.Get comfortable, grab some agua to stay hydrated, and of course a pen and paper to take some notes on the new concepts we are learning!

This video will teach you about noun gender in Spanish and the key vocabulary you need to do so. We suggest taking notes and reviewing this video lesson as many times as needed. This is a very important lesson!

Remember to press pause and repeat sections of the video to take notes.

Video provided courtesy of mobileapps@innovativelanguage.com. Also note: any in-video links are disabled.

Review

Let's review the vocabulary covered in the video. Along with learning to write each phrase, take time to practice reading them out loud. This is a great place to practice your new pronunciation skills! Also, if you have a friend who is also taking/knows Spanish nearby, practice using these conversational phrases with each other. Certain phrases are marked in bold - please pay careful attention to these words and phrases!

  • la manzana - apple
  • la casa - house
  • la ventana - window
  • el horno - oven
  • el perro - dog
  • el libro - book
  • el mapa - map
  • el día - day
  • la foto - photo/picture
  • la mano - hand
  • el perfume - perfume
  • el programa - program
  • el colibrí - hummingbird
  • la felicidad - happiness
  • la nariz - nose
  • la religión - religion
  • el cuaderno - notebook

A stick note with La actividad de práctica written on it.

Practice Activity

Let´s practice what you just learned. Complete the following activity. Look at your notes and practice as many times as you need! 

Complete the following practice activity. Don’t forget to add acentos when required.

NOTE: You are required to use information from this course to complete all practice activities. Additionally, fill-in-the-blank activities can be very particular: if an item is marked incorrect, double check that it wasn't something as minor as an extra space or a capital letter in the wrong place!

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