Masculino y Femenino

Género, is a matter that covers more than male and female concepts. First of all, we are not talking about men and women. We are talking about words, which can be masculine or feminine.

And that is something very strange for English speakers, I know. However; most languages divide words in masculine, feminine and neutral. Neutral in Spanish is the masculine form, so we can say we only have two géneros in the language.

When you search a word in a dictionary, you will more information than the meaning. In Spanish, dictionaries tell you whether words are masculine (usually expressed with m.) or feminine (usually f.)

These are the basic rules:

1. Nouns ending in -o and -a:

• Nouns ending in -o and sometimes -e are usually masculine. Example: el perro (the dog)
  • el libro (book)
  • el coche (car)
  • el amigo (friend)
• Nouns ending in -a are usually feminine. Example: la casa (the house)
  • la mesa (table)
  • la silla (chair)
  • la niña (girl)

2. Nouns with fixed gender:

• Some nouns have a fixed gender and do not follow the previous rules. For example, “el día” (the day) is masculine, and “la noche” (the night) is feminine.
  • el día (day)
  • el mar (sea)
  • la noche (night)

3. Nouns that can be used in both genders:

• Some nouns can be used in both masculine and feminine without changing their meaning. Example: el/la estudiante (the student)

4. Gender change with a change in meaning:

• In some cases, changing the gender can alter the meaning of the noun. Example: el cura (male priest) vs. la cura (cure)

5. Nouns ending in -ista:

• Nouns ending in -ista are generally gender-neutral. Example: el/la artista (the artist)
  • el/la estudiante (student)
  • el/la artista (artist)
  • el/la turista (tourist)

6. Collective nouns:

• Some collective nouns have fixed gender. Example: el grupo (the group) is masculine, and la multitud (the crowd) is feminine.

Ejercicio: Fill in the blanks with EL (masculino) or LA (femenino)

1. En mi casa, ___ libro es un compañero constante.
2. ___ libro es rojo y ___ coche es azul.
3. ___ amigo siempre está feliz cuando vienen a visitarnos.
4. ___ mesa en el comedor es grande y ___ silla en la cocina es cómoda.
5. ___ niña que vive al lado es muy amable.
6. ___ día hoy está soleado, y ___ mar en la playa es hermoso.
7. Por la noche, ___ noche está estrellada y tranquila.
8. ___ estudiante en la escuela es inteligente, y ___ artista en el museo crea obras impresionantes.
9. ___ turista que visita nuestra ciudad está emocionado por conocerla.
10. Mi hermano es ___ pianista talentoso, y mi tía es ___ periodista famosa.
11. Siempre soy ___ optimista y trato de ver el lado positivo de la vida.

Some help for the activity above:

1. In my house, the book is a constant companion.
2. The book is red, and the car is blue.
3. The friend is always happy when they come to visit us.
4. The table in the dining room is large, and the chair in the kitchen is comfortable.
5. The girl who lives next door is very friendly.
6. The day today is sunny, and the sea at the beach is beautiful.
7. At night, the night is starry and calm.
8. The student at school is intelligent, and the artist at the museum creates impressive works.
9. The tourist visiting our city is excited to get to know it.
10. My brother is a talented pianist, and my aunt is a famous journalist.
11. I am always optimistic and try to see the positive side of life.

LECTURA: El cantaor más grande

Él es Camarón de la Isla. Es el cantaor de flamenco más famoso del mundo.

Él tiene el pelo castaño, es delgado y es alto. Camarón es una persona muy peculiar.

Camarón es de San Fernando, Cádiz. Camarón es una leyenda en Andalucía. Camarón es un cantaor revolucionario, pero ahora está muerto.

Camarón es el mejor cantaor, y su amigo Paco de Lucía es el mejor guitarrista. El vídeo es único. No tenemos muchos vídeos de ellos juntos.

Es una Bulería. La bulería es un tipo de flamenco clásico.

Pero Camarón es revolucionario en el flamenco. Esto es flamenco moderno.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP6tYLmw3vQ&ab_channel=8duros