Nouns & Articles - VOCABULARY Flashcards

A. Definitions

• Noun (el sustantivo) = word that identifies:
  • people
  • animals
  • places
  • things
  • ideas
• In Spanish every noun has:
  • Gender (género) ➜ either masculine or feminine
  • Number (número) ➜ singular or plural
• Importance of gender & number:
  • Determines the form of accompanying articles, adjectives, and some verb forms.
  • Even inanimate objects are treated grammatically as masculine or feminine.

B. Nouns that Refer to Living Things

1. Masculine endings & examples

• -o
  • el chico ➜ "the boy"
  • el pasajero ➜ "the (male) passenger"
• -or
  • el conductor ➜ "the (male) driver"
  • el profesor ➜ "the (male) teacher / professor"
• -ista (gender shown by article only)
  • el turista ➜ "the (male) tourist"

2. Feminine endings & examples

• -a
  • la chica ➜ "the girl"
  • la pasajera ➜ "the (female) passenger"
• -ora
  • la conductora ➜ "the (female) driver"
  • la profesora ➜ "the (female) teacher / professor"
• -ista (same spelling as masculine)
  • la turista ➜ "the (female) tourist"

C. Nouns that Refer to Non-Living Things

1. Regular masculine patterns

• -o
  • el cuaderno "notebook"
  • el diario "diary / newspaper"
  • el diccionario "dictionary"
  • el número "number"
  • el video "video"
• -ma (Greek origin words)
  • el problema "problem"
  • el programa "program"
• -s (stressed final syllable)
  • el autobús "bus"
  • el país "country"

2. Regular feminine patterns

• -a
  • la computadora "computer"
  • la cosa "thing"
  • la escuela "school"
  • la maleta "suitcase"
  • la palabra "word"
• -ción
  • la lección "lesson"
  • la conversación "conversation"
• -dad
  • la nacionalidad "nationality"
  • la comunidad "community"

D. Forming the Plural of Spanish Nouns

• Ending in a vowel: add -s
  • \text{el chico} \rightarrow \text{los chicos}
  • \text{la cosa} \rightarrow \text{las cosas}
• Ending in a consonant: add -es
  • \text{la nacionalidad} \rightarrow \text{las nacionalidades}
• Ending in -z: change z → c and add -es
  • \text{el lápiz} \rightarrow \text{los lápices}
• Mixed-gender groups: use the masculine plural
  • Example: 1 pasajero + 2 pasajeras = 3 pasajeros

E. Definite Articles ("THE")

F. Indefinite Articles ("A, AN, SOME")

G. Practice Highlights & Checks (¡A checar!/¡A chequear!)

• Determine gender:
  • la chica ➜ feminine
  • el profesor ➜ masculine
  • el turista ➜ masculine (article shows gender)
  • la pasajera ➜ feminine
• Vocabulary identification:
  • el diccionario ➜ "the dictionary" (masc.)
  • la cosa ➜ "the thing" (fem.)
  • la conversación ➜ feminine (illustration activity)
  • el fútbol ➜ masculine (illustration activity)
• Listening selection (sample list):
  • computadora (fem.), diccionario (masc.), chica (fem.), cuaderno (masc.), problema (masc.), hombre (masc.), escuela (fem.), nacionalidad (fem.)
• Article-selection exercise (examples):
  • definite: el autobús, la computadora, los hombres, las escuelas, los lápices…
  • indefinite: una chica, un chico, unas maletas, unos cuadernos, un lápiz…

H. Connections & Tips

• Many patterns overlap with English cognates (computadora/computer, conversación/conversation), aiding memory.
• Greek-origin -ma words are exceptions to the vowel-gender pattern ➜ always masculine.
• Always memorize noun with its article to internalize gender.
• Gender/number agreement cascades: adjectives, demonstratives (este, esta), and object pronouns must match.
• Cultural note: Using the wrong article can change meaning or sound ungrammatical; practice is key.