Clear Spanish grammar
Spanish gender and articles: el, la, un and una
Every Spanish noun has grammatical gender. The ending often gives a clue, but it is safer to learn each noun together with its article.
The essentials
Three rules that clear up the confusion
- 1
Use el, la, los and las for definite reference; use un, una, unos and unas for indefinite reference.
- 2
Nouns ending in -o are often masculine and nouns ending in -a are often feminine, but words such as el problema show why endings are not enough.
- 3
The article, noun and adjective must agree in gender and number.
Compare
Examples in complete sentences
el libro / los librosthe book / the books
la casa / las casasthe house / the houses
un problema interesantean interesting problem
Go beyond reading
Practise the rule through the guided course route
A short explanation, a task, answer checking and a direct return to the paragraph needed after a mistake.