Learn Spanish: Third Course
Forming Spanish Nominal Words and Phrases
With enough knowledge on Spanish letters and sounds, you are now ready to begin forming words and phrases. On this 3rd day of training, the focus will be on forming nominal words and phrases. These are what we usually call nouns. These words name people, places, animals, events, and even abstract entities.
Spanish is a gender- and number-specific language. This means that its words, particularly nouns and adjectives, contain within them the categorization whether they are masculine, feminine, or neuter; and whether they are plural or singular.
Gender-Specific Characteristic
Nouns in Spanish may be classified according to gender – masculine, feminine, or neuter. How do we know which gender fits which noun? To help you resolve this problem, I’d like you to meet two good friends of mine: Lawrence, a clever guy from California , and Dazcion, a pretty maiden from Mexico
Spanish nouns ending in L, O, R, E, N, and S are masculine. Here are some examples:
Árbol [ar-bol] ‘tree’
Azucar [ah-zu-kar] ‘sugar’
Barrio [bar-ryo] ‘town’
Bebé [be-be] ‘baby’
Cinturón [sin-tu-ron] ‘belt’
Disco [dis-ko] ‘disk’
Examen [ek-sa-men] ‘exam’
Freno [fre-no] ‘brake’
Garaje [ga-ra-he] ‘garage’
Hombre [om-bre] ‘man’
Imán [i-man] ‘magnet’
Jamón [ha-mon] ‘ham’
Libro [lib-roh] ‘book’
Miedo [mye-do] ‘fear’
Nombre [nom-bre] ‘name’
Oído [oy-do] ‘ear’
País [pa-is] ‘country’
Pupitre [pu-pit-re] ‘desk’
Queso [ke-so] ‘cheese’
Regalo [reh-ga-lo] ‘gift’
Sello [sel-yo] ‘stamp’
Tacón [ta-kon] ‘heel’
Traje [tra-he] ‘dress’
Zorro [zor-ro] ‘fox’
On the other hand, nouns ending in D, A, Z, and Cion are feminine. Some examples are shown below:
Agua [ah-gwa] ‘water’
Barba [bar-ba] ‘beard’
Blusa [blu-sa] ‘blouse’
Cama [ka-ma] ‘bed’
Circulación [sir-ku-la-thyon] ’traffic’
Cosa [ko-sa] ‘thing’
Dirección [di-rek-thyon] ‘address’
Estrella [es-tre-lya] ‘star’
Fruta [fru-ta] ‘fruit’
Guerra [ger-ra] ‘war’
Hora [oh-ra] ‘hour’
Hierba [yer-ba] ‘grass’
Iglesia [ig-le-sya] ‘church’
Juventud [hu-ven-tud] ‘youth’
Luz [luz] ‘light’
Mancha [man-cha] ‘stain’
Nación [na-syon] ‘nation’
Página [pa-hi-na] ‘page’
Profesión [pro-fe-syon] ‘profession, job’
Querida [ke-ri-da] ‘dear’
Red [red] ‘net’
Suela [swe-la] ‘sole’
Salud [sa-lud] ‘health’
Tinta [tin-ta] ‘ink’
Uña [uh-nya] ‘nail’
Voz [voz] ‘voice’
Vida [vi-da] ‘life’
Zona [zo-na] ‘zone’
Hence, when you encounter a Spanish noun, all you have to do is look at its ending and see if it belongs to Lawrence
Masculine Nouns
Not Ending in L-O-R-E-N-S
Arroz [ar-roz] ‘rice’
Bistec [bis-tek] ‘steak’
Champu [cham-pu] ‘shampoo’
Dia [di-ya] ‘day’
Esqui [es-ki] ‘ski’
Fax [faks] ‘fax’
Mapa [ma-pa] ‘map’
Menú [me-nu] ‘menu’
Pez [pez] ‘fish’
Programma [pro-gra-ma] ‘programme’
Reloj [re-loh] ‘watch’
Rey [rey] ‘king’
Feminine Nouns
Not Ending in Dazcion
Calle [ka-lye] ‘street’
Cancer [kan-ser] ‘cancer’
Carcel [kar-sel] ‘prison’
Carne [kar-ne] ‘meat’
Flor [flor] ‘flower’
Ley [ley] ‘law’
Lente [len-te] ‘lens’
Mujer [mu-her] ‘wife’
Noche [noh-cheh] ‘night’
Orden [or-den] ‘command’
Razón [ra-zon] ‘reason’
Suerte [swer-te] ‘luck’
You should also note that not because the actual entity which is being referred by the word is associated with a certain gender (i.e., pants for men, skirts for women); the word takes the gender of the actual thing. Look how ironic Spanish nouns can be just for the sake of following its gender-specific characteristic:
Masculine Nouns
Camison [ka-mi-son] ‘nightdress’
Pantys [pan-tis] ‘thights’
Paraguas [pa-ra-gwas] ‘umbrella’
Salvaslips [sal-vas-lips] ‘panty liner’
Sujetador [su-he-ta-dor] ‘bra’
Pendiante [pen-dyan-te] ‘earrings’
Feminine Nouns
Cantera [kan-te-ra] ’case’
Corbata [kor-ba-ta] ’tie’
Ginebra [khi-ne-bra] ‘gin’
Gorra [gor-rah] ‘cap’
Guardia [gwar-dya] ‘guard’
Guitarra [gi-tar-ra] ‘guitar’
Nouns referring to persons and animals are inflected depending on the gender of the noun being referred to:
Masculine Nouns Meaning
Arquitekto [ar-ki-tek-to] ‘architect’
Cajero [ka-he-ro] ‘cashier’
Director [di-rek-tor] ‘director’
Dueño [dwe-nyo] ‘owner’
Esposo [es-poh-so] ‘spouse’
Granjero [gran-he-ro] ‘farmer’
Hermano [er-ma-no] ‘sibling’
Huesped [wes-ped] ‘guest’
Hijo [i-ho] ‘son/daughter’
Ladron [lad-ron] ‘thief’
Medico [me-di-ko] ‘doctor’
Nieto [nye-to] ‘grandchild’
Perro [per-ro] ‘dog’
Feminine Nouns Meaning
Arquitekta [ar-ki-tek-ta] ‘architect’
Cajera [ka-he-ra] ‘cashier’
Chica [chi-ka] ‘boy/girl’
Direktora [di-rek-to-ra] ‘director’
Dueña [dwe-nya] ‘owner’
Esposa [es-poh-sa] ‘spouse’
Granhera [gran-he-ra] ‘farmer’
Hermana [er-ma-na] ‘sibling’
Huespeda [wes-pe-da] ‘guest’
Hija [i-ha] ‘son/daughter’
Ladrona [lad-ro-na] ‘thief’
Medica [me-di-ka] ‘doctor’
Nieta [nye-ta] ‘grandchild’
Perra [per-ra] ‘dog’
Notice that most of the masculine nouns referring to persons and animals above end in -o or use the base form (without any suffix) of the word, while the feminine nouns end in -a.
The third gender in Spanish noun classification is called neuter. Words belonging to this category can be both male and female, depending on the actual gender of the noun being referred to. They do not need to be inflected with any suffix. Look at some examples below:
Agente [ah-hken-te] ‘agent’
Adolescente [ah-doh-le-sen-te] ‘adolescent’
Artista [ar-tis-ta] ‘artist’
Canguro [kan-gu-ro] ‘babysitter’
Ciclista [si-klis-ta] ‘cyclist’
Cliente [kli-yen-te] ‘client, customer’
Especialista [es-pe-sya-lis-ta] ‘specialist’
Estudiante [es-tu-dyan-te] ‘student’
Gerente [he-ren-te] ‘manager’
Periodista [per-yo-dis-ta] ‘journalist’
Policia [po-li-thyah] ‘policeman, policewoman’
Representante [re-pre-sen-tan-te] ‘representative’
Number-Specific Characteristic
Similar to English, Spanish can be inflected for number – an affix is placed on words to show plurality. Below are the rules in forming plural nouns in Spanish:
1. Add -s to nouns ending in vowels.
Vaca = Vacas [va-kas] ‘cows’
Gato = Gatos [ga-tos] ‘cats’
Plaza = Plazas [pla-zas] ‘towns’
Calle = Calles [ka-lyes] ‘streets’
Tía = Tías [ti-yas] ‘aunts’
2. Add -es to nouns ending in consonants except /s/.
Papel = Papeles [pa-pe-les] ‘papers’
Color = Colores [ko-lo-res] ‘colors’
Ciudad = Ciudades [thyu-da-des] ‘cities’
Hotel = Hoteles [o-te-les] ‘hotels’
Flor = Flores [flo-res] ‘flowers’
3. Most nouns ending in /s/ remain themselves when pluralized.
Jueves = Jueves [khwe-ves] ‘Thursdays’
4. Add -es to some other nouns ending in /s/.
Mes = Meses [me-ses] ‘months’
País = Países [pay-ses] ‘countries’
5. For nouns ending in /z/, change first the letter /z/ to /c/ before adding -es.
Pez = Peces [pe-thes] ‘fishes’
Luz = Luces [lu-thes] ‘lights’
Vez = Veces [ve-thes] ‘number of times’
Voz = Voces [vo-thes] ‘voices’
Lapiz = Lapices [la-pi-thes] ‘pencils’
Apart from adding the suffixes -s and -es, numbers can be observed in Spanish nouns by using the numerals themselves with the nouns. They should agree with one another – if the noun is more than one, a plural suffix should be present in the word. Here is the table for Spanish numerals:
0 cero [se-ro]
1 uno [u-no]
2 dos [dos]
3 tres [tres]
4 cuatro [kwat-ro]
5 cinco [thing-ko]
6 seís [seys]
7 siete [she-te]
8 ocho [oh-cho]
9 nueve [nwe-veh]
10 diez [dyez]
11 once [on-the]
12 doce [doh-the]
13 trece [tre-the]
14 catorce [ka-tor-the]
15 quince [kin-the]
16 diez y seís [dyez i seys]
17 diez y siete [dyez i she-te]
18 diez y ocho [dyez i ocho]
19 diez y nueve [dyez i nwe-ve]
20 veinte [veyn-te]
21 veinte y uno [veyn-te i u-no]
22 veinte y dos [veyn-te i dos]
30 treinta [treyn-ta]
40 cuarenta [kwa-ren-ta]
50 cincuenta [thing-kwen-ta]
60 sesenta [se-sen-ta]
70 setenta [se-ten-ta]
80 ochenta [oh-chen-ta]
90 noventa [no-ven-ta]
100 cien [shen]
1000 mil [mil]
Here are examples of nouns and numbers forming nominal phrases:
Una dia [u-na di-ya] ‘one day’
Ocho vasos de agua [oh-cho va-sos de a-gwa] ‘8 glasses of water’
Doce meses cada año [do-the me-ses ka-da a-nyo] ’12 months a year’
Treinta y dos años [treyn-ta i dos a-nyos] ’32 years’
Cien pesos [shen pe-sos] ‘100 pesos’
Definite and Indefinite Articles
As we have already started forming nominal phrases with the use of numbers, let us continue by using articles in Spanish this time.
A nominal phrase is usually composed of an article and a noun, Articles can be either definite or indefinite. In English, we use the article “the” to show definiteness, while we use “a” to refer to indefinite nouns. As a review of definiteness, consider the following English sentences below:
[The child] is playing.
[A child] is playing.
In the former sentence, the one playing is the child whom perhaps we already know or have been talking about earlier; unlike in the latter where the one playing is a child who we don’t really know.
In Spanish, articles are also used to show a noun’s definiteness. Since it is again a gender- and number-specific language, these articles are also inflected for gender and plurality. Study the table below that introduces these articles:
D E F I N I T E I N D E F I N I T E
Masculine
Singular Plural
el [el] los [los]
el libro los libros
[el lib-roh] [los lib-rohs]
‘the book’ ‘the books’
Singular Plural
un [un] unos [unos]
un chico
[un chi-ko] [u-nos chi-kos]
‘a boy’ ‘boys’
Feminine
Singular Plural
la [la] las [las]
la plaza las plazas
[la pla-za] [las pla-zas]
‘the town’ ‘the towns’
Singular Plural
una [una] unas [unas]
una chica unas chicas
[u-na chi-ka] [u-nas chi-kas]
‘a girl’ ‘girls’
To summarize, here are the steps in forming nominal phrases:
1. Identify the gender of the noun. Check its ending but remember the exceptions.
2. How many are being talked about? If it’s more than one, observe the ending so you would know what suffix to add.
3. Is the noun definite or not? This would determine what article to use.
Examples: Answer the questions in Spanish.
Q: What did you have for breakfast?
A: 2 bananas and a glass of milk
1. Platano ‘banana’ is a male. Vaso ‘glass’ is also a male.
2. 2 bananas. Hence, add -s to platano = 2 platanos. 1 glass. Hence, vaso remains.
3. 2 bananas - definite, with numeral = dos platanos. 1 glass - indefinite, use un = un vaso
Dos platanos y un vaso de leche
Q: Who called while I was gone?
A: The neighbors (girls) and a student (boy)
1. The neighbors are girls. Use vecina (instead of vecino). Estudiante is neuter. No need for inflection.
2. Neighbors. Hence, add -s to vecina = vecinas. Student. Hence, estudiante remains.
3. The neighbors – definite, use las = las vecinas
A student – indefinite, use un = un estudiante
Las vecinas y un estudiante
Learn More Nouns that are Spanish!
It is also important to learn the following Spanish nouns that are used in daily conversations. Take time to get yourself familiar with these nouns and memorize each one of them.
1. Months in a Year (los meses en un año)
Enero [e-ne-ro] ‘January’
Febrero [feb-re-ro] ‘February’
Marzo [mar-zo] ‘March’
Abril [ab-ril] ‘April’
Mayo [ma-yo] ‘May’
Junio [hu-nyo] ‘June’
Julio [hu-lyo] ‘July’
Agosto [a-gos-to] ‘August’
Septiembre [sep-tyem-bre] ‘September’
Octubre [ok-tu-bre] ‘October’
Noviembre [no-vyem-bre] ‘November’
Diciembre [di-thyem-bre] ‘December’
2. Days of the Week (las dias en una semana)
Lunes [lu-nes] ‘Monday’
Martes [mar-tes] ‘Tuesday’
Miercoles [myer-ko-les] ‘Wednesday’
Jueves [khweh-ves] ‘Thursday’
Viernes [vyer-nes] ‘Friday’
Sabado [sa-ba-dho] ‘Saturday’
Domingo [do-ming-go] ‘Sunday’
3. Time of the Day (hora en la diya)
De la mañana [de la ma-nya-na] ‘am’
De la tarde [de la tar-de] ‘pm’
Hora [o-ra] ‘time, hour’
Media hora [me-dya ora] ‘half hour’
Cuarto de hora [kwar-to o-ra] ‘quarter of an hour’
4. What is The Date Today? (¿Que fecha es hoy?)
Dates, in Spanish, are formed by stating the date (number) first before the month. The number is introduced by an article, while the preposition de ‘of’ is used to link that date to the month. Let’s try it!
¿Que fecha es hoy?
[ke fe-cha es oy]
‘What’s the date today?’
El cinco de marzo.
[el thing-ko de mar-zo]
‘It’s the 5th of May.’
El seis de Julio.
[el seys de hu-lyo]
‘It’s the 6th of July.’
¿Que dia es? Es domingo. Es miercoles.
[ke di-ya es] [es do-ming-go] [es myer-ko-les]
‘What day is it? ‘It’s Sunday’ ‘It’s Wednesday’
Note: The months and days in Spanish do not begin with capital letters when written.
5. What Time Is It? (¿Que hora es?)
¿Que hora es?
[ke o-ra es]
‘What time is it?’
Es la una de la tarde
[es la u-na de la tar-de]
‘It’s 1:00 p.m.’
[son las dos i me-dya]
Son las dos y media
‘It’s 2:30’
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