Noun Patterns — Reference
Quick lookup for gender signals and plural rules.
Gender signals
| Pattern | Gender | Examples |
|---|
| Ends in -o | Masculine | libro, coche, año, vino, plato, tiempo, trabajo |
| Ends in -a | Feminine | mesa, casa, puerta, camisa, tienda, semana, lengua |
| Ends in -ción / -sión | Feminine | canción, nación, televisión, profesión, decisión |
| Ends in -dad / -tad / -tud | Feminine | ciudad, libertad, verdad, sociedad, actitud |
| Ends in -or | Masculine | color, calor, dolor, amor, error, autor |
| Ends in -ema / -oma / -ama | Masculine | problema, sistema, programa, tema, clima |
| Ends in -ente / -ante | Usually masculine | estudiante, cliente, presidente |
| Ends in -ez | Feminine | niñez, vejez, delgadez |
| Ends in -umbre | Feminine | costumbre, lumbre, muchedumbre |
Notable exceptions
| Noun | Expected | Actual gender | English |
|---|
| el día | feminine (ends -a) | masculine | day |
| el mapa | feminine (ends -a) | masculine | map |
| el sofá | feminine (ends -a) | masculine | sofa |
| el problema | feminine (ends -a) | masculine | problem |
| el sistema | feminine (ends -a) | masculine | system |
| el programa | feminine (ends -a) | masculine | program |
| el tema | feminine (ends -a) | masculine | topic |
| la mano | masculine (ends -o) | feminine | hand |
| la foto | masculine (ends -o) | feminine | photo |
| la moto | masculine (ends -o) | feminine | motorcycle |
Plural rules
| Noun ends in | Rule | Singular → Plural |
|---|
| Any vowel | Add -s | libro → libros |
| Any vowel | Add -s | mesa → mesas |
| Any consonant | Add -es | ciudad → ciudades |
| Any consonant | Add -es | mujer → mujeres |
| -z | Change to -ces | voz → voces |
| -z | Change to -ces | vez → veces |
Plural examples — vowel-ending (→ -s)
| Singular | Plural | English |
|---|
| libro | libros | books |
| mesa | mesas | tables |
| coche | coches | cars |
| casa | casas | houses |
| perro | perros | dogs |
| café | cafés | coffees |
| calle | calles | streets |
| tienda | tiendas | stores |
| año | años | years |
| idea | ideas | ideas |
Plural examples — consonant-ending (→ -es)
| Singular | Plural | English |
|---|
| ciudad | ciudades | cities |
| mujer | mujeres | women |
| flor | flores | flowers |
| árbol | árboles | trees |
| papel | papeles | papers |
| mes | meses | months |
| color | colores | colors |
| canción | canciones | songs |
| habitación | habitaciones | rooms |
| reloj | relojes | clocks |
Plural examples — -z → -ces
| Singular | Plural | English |
|---|
| voz | voces | voices |
| vez | veces | times |
| pez | peces | fish |
| nariz | narices | noses |
| luz | luces | lights |
Article agreement at a glance
| Definite | Indefinite |
|---|
| Masculine singular | el | un |
| Feminine singular | la | una |
| Masculine plural | los | unos |
| Feminine plural | las | unas |
See also: Grammatical Gender — full explanation with patterns.
See also: Articles — how to use each article form.