Lección 1.2 Gender,  Number (pluralization) and Articles

Wyatt Slauson

Lección 1.2 Gender, Number (pluralization) and Articles

Gender

Spanish has two genders: Masculine and Feminine. It is important to note that grammatical gender in Spanish doesn’t necessarily align with natural gender; it is a structural part of the language rather than a reflection of the actual characteristics of the object.

When dealing with people, it can be easy to know whether to use the feminine or the masculine forms. However, when talking about objects or concepts, using the feminine and masculine forms is not as clear cut. Below are some rules that words follow but there are many exceptions to these rules. The best way to be sure whether a noun is masculine or feminine is to learn the definite article that accompanies it in the vocabulary.

Masculine endings	Feminine endings
-o Ej. niño, libro, gato -ma Ej. sistema, problema, poema -or Ej. trabajador, doctor, profesor	-a Ej. niña, mesa, silla -ción/sión Ej. television, motivación, exploración -dad Ej. felicidad, amistad, libertad

Number (Pluralization)-Singular or Plural

In Spanish, like in English, nouns and adjectives change to reflect number (singular or plural). Vocabulary is often presented in the singular however, the nouns and adjectives can be pluralized. Below are the rules for pluralization in Spanish.

For nouns ending in a vowel (a,e,i, o, u)	Add an -s Ej. gato > gatos Mesa> Mesas
For nouns ending in a consonant (except for ‘z’)	Add an -es Ej. trabajador >trabajadores Television > televisions Flor > flores
For nouns ending in ‘z’	Change ‘z’ to ‘ces’ Ej. lápiz >lápices Luz > luces Pez >peces

Definite and Indefinite Articles in Spanish

Articles are important in Spanish because they indicate the gender and number of a noun. Using definite articles indicates something specific while using indefinite articles indicates something more general. Understanding how to use these articles correctly is key to conveying whether you are speaking about something in specific or whether you are speaking about something generally. It is the difference between ‘The apple’ versus ‘An apple’.

Definite Articles

Definite articles are used to refer to something specific and mean ‘the’. Definite articles must agree with the noun that they modify in gender and number.

	Singular	Plural
Masculine	Él-the	Los-the
Feminine	La-the	Las-the

Indefinite Articles

Indefinite articles are used to refer to nouns that are nonspecific and mean either ‘a’, ‘an’ or ‘some’. Indifinite articles must agree with the noun that they modify in gender and number.

	Singular	Plural
Masculine	Un-an	Unos-some
Feminine	Una-an	Unas-some

Activity 1-Fill in the blanks

Please put the definite article that corresponds to the word. Make sure that it agrees in gender and number

Activity 2-Fill in the blanks

Please provide the indefinite article that corresponds to the word. Make sure it agrees in gender and number

Subject Pronouns

Subject pronouns are very important in Spanish and are similar to subject pronouns in English ‘I’, ‘you’, ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘we’ ‘you all’ and ‘they’. Since the Spanish language is based on conjugation, subject pronouns indicate who or what is performing the action in a sentence.

Singular	Plural
Yo- I	-Used to refer to the speaker. -When using ‘yo’, you will be speaking about yourself.	Nosotros-We	-Used when referring to a mix-gender group or group of males. Nosotras is used when referring to a group of females. -When using ‘nosotros’ or ‘nosotras’ you will be speaking about yourself and the people that are with you.
Tú- You (informal, familiar)	-Used to address someone informally like friends, family and people of the same age. -When using ‘tú’, you are speaking directly with the person.	Vosotros/Vos-You all (informal, familiar)	-Used when referring to a mix-gender group or group of males. Vosotras is used when referring to a group of females. -When using ‘nosotros’ you will be speaking to a group of people directly. -Although the conjugation of ‘vosotros’ will be included in this textbook, ‘ustedes’ will be the only conjugation that you are responsible for on tests because it is more broadly used in Spanish-speaking communities.
Usted- You (formal)	-Used to show respect or formality when addressing one person, often used in professional settings, with elders or strangers. -When using ‘usted’ , you are speaking directly to the person.	Ustedes-You all (formal)	-Used to refer to a group of people and where you are not included. -When using ‘ustedes’, you are speaking directly to a group of people -Since most Spanish-speaking communities do not use ‘vosotros’, ustedes is both the formal and informal way of speaking to a group of people and will be the form that we will focus on in this textbook.
Él-He	-Used to refer to a male person or a masculine object. -When using ‘él’, you will be talking about the person or thing that you referring to.	Ellos- They (masculine)	-Used to refer to a mixed-gender group/or mixed-gendered objects or a male group or group of masculine objects. -When using ‘ellos’, you will be talking about a group of mix-gendered or male people or objects.
Ella-She	-Used to refer to a feminine person or feminine object. -When using ‘ella’, you will be talking about the person or thing that you are referring to.	Ellas-They (feminine)	-Used to refer to a female group or a group of feminine objects. -When using ‘ellas’ you will be talking about a group of females or feminine objects.

Subject pronouns will be used in order to conjugate every verb in this course and in the courses to come. It is important that you memorize subject pronouns and how they are used in a sentence.

Conjugation of ‘Ser’ in the Present Indicative

The verb ‘ser’ means ‘to be’ and is one of the most important and commonly used verbs in Spanish. It is an irregular verb. It is used when talking about the essential characteristics and nature of person or thing.

Ser-To be

Yo	Soy – I am	Nosotros	Somos-We are
Tú	Eres-You are	Vosotros	Sois- You all are
Usted	Es-You are	Ustedes	Son- You all are
Él	Es -He is	Ellos	Son- They are
Ella	Es-She is	Ellas	Son -They are

Uses of ‘Ser’

Identity- to describe who or what something is.

Yo soy estudiante (I am a student)

Ella es mi hermana. (She is my sister)

Es una mesa. (It is a table)

Professions-to describe what someone does for a living

Nosotros somos fontaneros. (We are plumbers)

Ellos son científicos. (They are scientists)

Origin and Nationality- to indicate where someone or something is from or their nationality.

Yo soy de California. (I am from California)

Ella es de Arizona. (They are from Arizona)

Nosotros somos de Nuevo Méxicanos. (We are New Mexicans)

Characteristics- To describe physical or personality traits that are considered inherent.

Yo soy baja. (I am short)

Nosotros somos amables. (We are kind)

Él es inteligente. (He is intelligent)

Time and Dates- To indicate the time, date, and season.

Son las cuatro. (It is four)

Es sábado. ( It is Saturday)

Es primavera. (It is Spring)

Relationships- To express relationships or associations.

Yo soy tu padre. (I am your father)

Nosotros somos amigos. (We are friends)

Ellos son primos. (They are cousins)

Possession- To express what something belongs to.

El coche es de Roberto. (The car is of Robert)

Es la tienda de Ana. (It is the store of Ana)

El reloj es de Jesus. (It is the watch of Jesus)

Composition- To express what something is made of.

La mesa es de madera. (The table is of wood)

El collar es de oro. (The necklace is of gold)

For now, the uses that will be focused on in this chapter will be Origin and Nationality and Time. In later chapters the other uses of ‘Ser’ will be explored.

Activity 1 – Match use case

Please drag the image to the correct use of ‘ser’.

Activity 2- Multiple Choice.

Please pick the correct answer.

Activity 3-Dialogue. With a partner, please write a short conversation with the vocabulary that you have learned up to this point. Your dialogue should include, greetings, the verb ‘ser’ and farewells.