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Chapter 8 of 16 · Explore the Spanish path

How sentences work · Chapter 8 of 16

Make the words around a noun match

A noun names a person, place or thing, and every Spanish noun is masculine or feminine. Learn the little word that goes in front of it, and how a describing word copies its ending.

≈ 4 min of reading · Practise at your own pace

What’s in this chapter
  • Every noun is masculine or feminine, and it has almost nothing to do with meaning.
  • Learn the little word stuck to the noun — la casa, el bosque — not the noun alone.
  • Four words for the (el la los las) and two for a (un una).
  • For more than one, add -s; after a consonant add -es.
  • A describing word usually sits after the noun and copies its ending.

Four words for the, and two for a

A noun names a person, place or thing. Every Spanish noun is masculine or feminine, and the word for the changes to match it.

MasculineFeminine
the, one thingel bosqueehl BOHS-kehla casalah KAH-sah
the, more than onelos bosqueslohs BOHS-kehslas casaslahs KAH-sahs
aun zorrooon SOH-rrohuna casaOO-nah KAH-sah

-o usually takes el and -a usually takes la; -e and consonants give no clue — la nochelah NOH-cheh“the night”, el ratónehl rrah-TOHN“the mouse” — so learn those with their little word.

For more than one, add -s; after a consonant, add -es: los ratoneslohs rrah-TOH-nehs — the accent disappears, as the stress section promised. Take three counting words now: un / unaOO-nah“one, a”, dosdohs“two”, trestrehs“three”. The word lookup counts to ten.

I see a small fox.

Veo un zorro pequeño.

BEH-oh oon SOH-rroh peh-KEH-nyoh

zorroSOH-rroh“fox” first, pequeñopeh-KEH-nyoh“small” second — a describing word usually follows its noun.

One describing word, four shapes

A describing word follows its noun and usually copies its ending. Read the left side first, then see what changed on the right.

un zorro pequeñooon SOH-rroh peh-KEH-nyoh
una casa pequeñaOO-nah KAH-sah peh-KEH-nyah
feminine noun, so -a
un zorro pequeño
dos zorros pequeñosdohs SOH-rrohs peh-KEH-nyohs
plural noun, so -s on both words
el árbol grandeehl AHR-bohl GRAHN-deh — the big tree
la casa grandelah KAH-sah GRAHN-deh
-e means one form for both genders — but it still takes plural -s: grandesGRAHN-dehs

Words for this, that, here and there

Use these to point at something close by or further off. The first pair copies the ending of the noun; the second pair never changes.

EnglishSpanishNotes
this / thatesteEHS-teh / eseEH-sehthey copy the noun’s ending: esa noche
here / thereaquíah-KEE / allíah-YEEone form each; the ll is a y

Make the phrase agree

  1. el ratón → more than one

    -es, and watch the accent.

    Show answer +
    los ratoneslohs rrah-TOH-nehs“the mice”
  2. un zorro pequeño → said about una casa
    Show answer +
    una casa pequeñaOO-nah KAH-sah peh-KEH-nyah“a small house”
  3. Ese pájaro está allí.

    Where, not what.

    Show answer +
    Ese pájaro está allí.EH-seh PAH-hah-roh ehs-TAH ah-YEE“That bird is there”
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