EL? LA? How to choose the correct gender in Spanish
Learn how to choose the correct gender in Spanish with this easy guide! Discover when to use el and la, and which words are masculine or feminine. Stick around for a fun quiz at the end to test your knowledge!
Introduction
Why is mesa feminine but libro masculine in Spanish? Grammatical gender is a property of the noun, not a statement about the object. Here you’ll learn common patterns for el and la, important exceptions, and a short quiz to practise.
Let’s start with the basics.
Spanish nouns are generally classified as masculine or feminine. Articles and many adjectives agree with the noun in gender and number. El is usually the masculine singular definite article, and la is usually the feminine singular definite article.
Generally, if a word ends in ‘o’, it’s masculine, like ‘el libro’ (the book), and if it ends in ‘a’, it’s feminine, like ‘la mesa’ (the table). Many nouns for people and animals have masculine and feminine forms, but others use one form: la persona, la víctima, el personaje, la jirafa.
La abuela (Grandma)
El abuelo (Grandpa)
El gato (Male cat)
La gata (Female cat)
Endings can help you guess a noun’s gender, but they are clues rather than rules without exceptions. Learn each new noun with its article when you can.
Many nouns with these endings are masculine and take el, although there are exceptions:
-o: el perro (the dog)
-aje: el equipaje (the luggage)
-ar: el lugar (the place)
-or: el ordenador (the computer). Compare the feminine noun la flor (the flower).
-án, -én, -ín, -ón, -ún: el capitán (the captain), el cojín (the cushion), el camión (the truck), el atún (the tuna). These examples are masculine; an accented ending alone does not guarantee gender.
-és: El interés (The interest)
-ate -ete -ote: El combate (The combat) El juguete (The toy) El bigote (The moustache)
-ama -ema: El programa (The program) El problema (The problem)
Many nouns with these endings are feminine and take la, again with exceptions:
-a: la cama (the bed)
-ción -sión: La canción (The song) La ilusión (The illusion)
-dad -tad: La ciudad (The city) La libertad (The freedom)
-ez, -eza: la vejez (old age), la pereza (laziness)
-ed: La sed (The thirst)
-tud: La actitud (The attitude)
But what about words that don’t follow these endings? Let’s see some of the exceptions that might confuse you. And keep reading cause coming up next I’ll tell you something very important…
If you would like a structured study plan, see our free Spanish study guide.
Some nouns do not follow the common -o and -a patterns. They have different histories: for example, la foto and la moto are shortened forms of feminine nouns. Learn these examples with their articles:
El día (The day)
El mapa (The map)
El planeta (The planet)
El poema (The poem)
La foto (The photograph)
La mano (The hand)
La radio (the radio; el radio is also used for a radio set in some regions)
La moto (The motorcycle)
Learn unfamiliar nouns together with their articles, then notice those forms as you read and listen. Repeated examples can help you remember them. These slow-Spanish vlogs offer more listening practice:
SPANISH VLOG with subtitles: A Unique Spanish Tradition
I ate nothing but less than 1€ food in Spain for 24 hours
With a few nouns, changing the article can change the meaning:
There are not many words that do this, but it’s important that you know. Don’t forget to stay with me till the quiz at the end.
El cura – La cura (The priest – The cure) So for example we have “el cura”, which means “the priest” and “la cura”, which means “the cure”.
El cometa – La cometa (The comet – The kite)
El capital – La capital (capital or funds – the capital city)
El coma – La coma (The coma – The comma)
El corte – La corte (The cut – The court)
El final – La final (the ending – the final match or round)
El mañana – La mañana (The future – The morning)
And one thing, EL and LA are the singular articles. Do you know which are the plural ones? It’s LOS and LAS.
El beso – Los besos (The kiss – the kisses)
La flor – Las flores (The flower – The flowers)
And remember that adjectives have to match the gender and number of the noun too.
La casa bonita (The beautiful house)
El jardín bonito (The beautiful garden)
Las casas bonitas (The beautiful houses)
Los jardines bonitos (The beautiful gardens)
One important article pattern: before a feminine singular noun beginning with a stressed a sound, use el when the article comes immediately before the noun: el agua fría (the cold water), el águila blanca (the white eagle). The nouns and their adjectives remain feminine. In the plural, use las aguas and las águilas. If another word comes between the article and noun, use la: la misma agua.
Now that you’re mastering genders, are you ready to put your knowledge to the test? Let’s do a quick quiz to review what we’ve learned today.
EL or LA? I say the noun, you say the article.
- mesa (The table)
- sol (The sun)
- __ doctor (the male doctor)
- __ chupete (The pacifier)
- __ presión (The pressure)
- __ mapa (The map)
- __ foto (The photograph)
- __ timidez (The shyness)
- __ oro (The gold)
Click here to reveal the answers
Answers:
- La
- El
- El
- El
- La
- El
- La
- La
- El
Conclusion
You have practised some useful patterns for el and la. For another choice that depends on context, watch how speakers use tú and usted. Usage varies by region and relationship.
