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Spanish Tutorial Lesson 3 Spanish Tutorial Lesson 3
In this lesson we'll be learning the differences between masculine and feminine words in Spanish. Click the headphones icon next to each sentence to hear a recording of it. There are exercises at the end of the lesson to help you practise what you've learnt.
El - The
We use 'el' in Spanish for masculine nouns. There are a number of ways to tell if a noun is (almost certainly) masculine:
When it ends in an -o:
- 'El texto del libro est� escrito en ingl�s' (The text of the book is written in English)
When it ends in -ate, -ma/-pa/-ta:
- 'Igual que el caf�, el chocolate es un estimulante' (Same as coffee, chocolate is a stimulant)
- 'El mapa del sistema solar' (The map of the solar system)
When a verb is used as a noun:
- 'El vivir aqu� cuesta mucho' (Life here costs a lot)
Compound words (like 'lighthouse' and 'flowerpot' in English):
- 'El rompecabezas de la izquierda radical' (The puzzle literally: 'breaks heads' of the radical left)
La - The
We use 'la' in Spanish for feminine nouns. There are also a number of ways to tell whether a noun is (almost certainly) feminine:
When it ends in -a:
- 'Mi madre trabaja como enfermera' (My mother works as (a) nurse)
When it ends in -ci�n or -i�n:
- 'Hay un televisor en la habitaci�n' (There is a television set in the room)
When it ends in -dad/-tad/-tud:
- 'Londres es la ciudad m�s grande de Europa' (London is the largest city of Europe)
- 'La dificultad de aprender algo nuevo' (The difficulty of learning something new)
When it ends in -umbre:
- 'Las muchedumbres de gente en la calle' (The crowds of people in the street)
When it ends in -ie:
- 'La barbarie de la guerra' (The barbarity of war)
General note: 'El' is used for obviously masculine words like 'padre' (father) and 'hijo' (son). 'La' is used for obviously feminine words such as 'reina' (queen).
El que, la que
The words 'el que' for masculine nouns and 'la que' for feminine nouns are equivalent to 'the one that':
- 'Mi amiga, la que es periodista, viene a visitarme hoy'
(My friend, the one that is (a) journalist, comes to visit me today) - 'Tu libro, el que est� escrito en franc�s, es muy largo'
(Your book, the one that is written in French, is very long) - 'Sus mesas, las que son de madera, son caras'
(Their tables, the ones that are (made) of wood, are expensive) - 'Mis vecinos, los que son viejos, son muy amables'
(My neighbours, the ones that are old, are very kind)
Note: When referring to an abstract idea, use 'lo' for 'the':
- 'No comprendo lo que ocurre'
(I don't understand what is happening literally: 'the thing that is happening')
Exercise One
Decide whether the following words use 'el' or 'la' (click each sentence to reveal the answer):
- programa el
- mundo el
- conversaci�n la
- libertad (freedom) la
- rascacielo (skyscraper, literally 'scrapes sky') el
Exercise Two
Translate the following sentences that use words and word combinations from lessons 1-3 into English (click each sentence to reveal the answer):
- La ciudad, la que es con muchos rascacielos, tiene calles largas
The city, the one with lots of skyscrapers, has long streets - Su padre trabaja como periodista, verdad?
Their father works as a journalist, right? - La puerta de madera no est� abierta
The wooden door isn't open - Mi hijo habla un poco de espa�ol conmigo
My son speaks a little Spanish with me - Cada libro aqu� est� escrito con muchos pensamientos interesantes
Every book here is written with many interesting thoughts
