The Gender of Nouns Flashcards
What are adjectives?
Adjectives are used to describe a noun, or distinguish the noun from other nouns.
For example, an adjective might describe the size or color of a thing. The house is pink. An adjective might describe what a person is like. For instance, Antonio Banderas es muy guapo.
Are Spanish adjectives the same in English and Spanish?
As far as the meaning goes, YES! In Spanish adjectives are used to describe or to distriguished a noun. For example,
- Un chico talentoso.*
- Una chica inteligente.*
How are adjectives different in English and Spanish?
In Spanish adjective come in two categories. There is a masculine form and a feminine form depending on the noun they are describing. For example:
El chico talentoso.
La chica talentosa.
Adjectives in English do not have gender.
How do I distinguish a Spanish masculine adjective from a feminine adjective?
Masculine adjectives end in “o” ==> alto, perezoso
Feminine adjectives end in “a” ==> alta, perezosa
Are there any irregular adjectives in Spanish?
Yes!
deportista even tough ends in an “a” IT IS NOT feminine. It applies to both masculine and feminine. This adjective is the exception to the rule.
La chica deportista.
El chico deportista.
What about adjectives that end in an “e”?
These adjectives are both masculine and feminine.
La chica sociable.
El chico sociable.
La chica inteligente.
El chico inteligente.
How about adejctives that end in a consonant?
Adjectives like trabajador ending in a consonant are masculune. For the feminine form, add an “a” to the end.
masculine: trabajador
feminine: trabajadora
Can you recall the rules for descriptive adjectives in Spanish?
if the adjective ends in “o” it is masculine.
If the adjective ends in “a” it is feminine.
If the adjective ends in “e” it is masculine and feminine
Deportista is the exception to the rule. It is both.
If it ends in a consonant, most likely it is masculine AND you need to add an “a” to make it feminine.
What is the gender of the following:
talentoso, gracioso, perezoso,
estudioso, atrevido, deportista, inteligente?
They are all masculine descriptive adjectives.
What is the gender of the following adjectives,
estudiosa, artística, trabajadora, atrevida, deportista, inteligente, sociable?
They are all feminine.
