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Noun Endings

Spanish: Edexcel IGCSE, topic 1.3.1

Common Noun Endings

Spanish noun endings change depending on if there are 1 object or more than 1 object (plural) and whether the noun is masculine or feminine. 'o', 'a', 'os' and 'as' are the most common endings.

'o' - masculine singular

'o' - masculine singular

  • El verano.
  • The summer.
  • El ancho.
  • The width.
  • El pedazo.
  • The piece.
'a' - feminine singular

'a' - feminine singular

  • La niebla.
  • The fog.
  • La falta.
  • The lack, the error.
  • La plata (🥈).
  • Silver.
'os' - masculine plural

'os' - masculine plural

  • Los invitados.
  • The guests.
  • Los miembros.
  • The members.
  • Los riesgos (⚠️).
  • The risks.
'as' - feminine plural

'as' - feminine plural

  • Las barras (de pan) (🥖).
  • The loaves (of bread).
  • Las cucharas (🥄).
  • The spoons.
  • Las estrellas (⭐).
  • The stars.
Exceptions

Exceptions

  • There are masculine words that use the article 'el' but end in '-a'.
  • el problema - the problem
  • el mapa - the map
  • There are also feminine words that end in '-o' and use the article 'la':
  • la mano - the hand
  • la radio - the radio
Other exceptions

Other exceptions

  • There are feminine words that end in '-a', but use 'el' instead of 'la' to sound better.
  • el agua - the water
  • A mixed group with masculine and feminine nouns automatically applies the masculine plural ending.
  • For example, if we have a group of boys and girls, we would say 'los chicos'.

Other Noun Endings

Other common noun endings are: 'or', 'dad' and 'ión'. When these are in the plural, we add 'es'.

Nouns ending in 'or'

Nouns ending in 'or'

  • Nouns that end in 'or' are always masculine.
  • In the plural they add 'es' to the end.
  • E.g El color (🎨).
    • The colour.
  • E.g El dolor (😧).
    • The pain.
  • E.g Los colores (🎨).
    • The colours.
  • E.g Los dolores (😧).
    • The pains.
Nouns ending in 'ión'

Nouns ending in 'ión'

  • These nouns are always feminine.
  • E.g La canción (🎶).
    • The song.
  • E.g. La estación (🚉).
    • The station.
  • In the plural, these nouns lose their accents.
  • E.g. Las canciones (🎶🎶).
    • The songs.
  • E.g. Las estaciones (🚉🚉).
    • The stations.
Nouns ending in 'dad'

Nouns ending in 'dad'

  • These nouns are always feminine.
  • When they are in the plural they end in 'es'.
  • E.g. La sociedad.
    • The society.
  • E.g. La calidad.
    • The quality.
  • E.g. La ciudad (🏙️).
    • The city.
  • E.g. Las ciudades (🏙️🏙️).
    • The cities.

Test yourself on Noun Endings

  • 'El perro' means 'the dog' in Spanish, how do you say 'the dogs' in Spanish?

  • The word for 'potatoes' in Spanish is 'las patatas'; how do you say 'a potato' in Spanish?

  • In Spanish the word for 'fork' is 'tenedor'; how do you say 'the forks' in Spanish?

  • The word for 'song' in Spanish is 'canción'; how do you say 'the songs' in Spanish?

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