Gender & Articles: El, La, Los, Las

Introduction

Every Spanish noun has a gender — either masculine or feminine. This affects which article (el, la, los, las) you place before it and how adjectives agree. English doesn't have this, so it's one of the first hurdles for new learners.

Core rule: Most nouns ending in -o are masculine; most ending in -a are feminine.

Definite Articles (the)

• el libro → the book
• la mesa → the table
• los libros → the books
• las mesas → the tables

Indefinite Articles (a / some)

• un gato → a cat
• una casa → a house
• unos gatos → some cats
• unas casas → some houses

Common Patterns

Endings that are usually masculine

• -o → el libro, el vaso, el carro
• -ma (Greek origin) → el problema, el tema, el sistema
• -or → el color, el amor

Endings that are usually feminine

• -a → la casa, la mesa, la puerta
• -ción / -sión → la nación, la decisión
• -dad / -tad → la ciudad, la libertad

Exceptions to Remember

Some common nouns break the pattern:

• el día (the day) — ends in -a but is masculine
• la mano (the hand) — ends in -o but is feminine
• el mapa (the map) — ends in -a but is masculine
• la foto (the photo) — shortened from la fotografía, stays feminine

Practice