Spanish nouns have gender
Many Spanish nouns are masculine or feminine. For people, the gender often matches the person you are talking about.
el hijo - the sonla hija - the daughter
El hijo, la hija: masculine and feminine nouns
Learn how Spanish marks people, family words, and common professions with el and la.
- Level
- A1
- Time
- 12-15 min
- Mode
- Grammar + practice
Video lesson
Watch Valeria explain el, la, and noun gender.
Start with the guided video, then use the interactive cards below to lock in family words, professions, and article recognition.
Open on YouTube1
Choose el or la for common people and family nouns.
2
Change simple masculine nouns into feminine forms.
3
Recognize nouns that stay the same while the article changes.
4
Practice common people and profession nouns interactively.
5
Use gender patterns before moving into adjective agreement.
Mini grammar
First pattern: article, noun, then meaning.
For this first lesson, do not try to memorize every exception. Learn the pattern, hear the words, and build fast recognition with small, repeated choices.
El usually marks masculine nouns
Use el with many masculine people nouns. The word often ends in -o, but not always.
el padreel hermanoel profesorel doctor
La usually marks feminine nouns
Use la with many feminine people nouns. Some words change their ending; some are completely different words.
la madrela hermanala profesorala doctora
Some nouns do not change
Words ending in -ista or -ante often keep the same form. The article tells you who the person is.
el estudiante / la estudianteel pianista / la pianista
El hijo es estudiante.
The son is a student.
Masculine noun with el.
La hija es estudiante.
The daughter is a student.
The noun estudiante stays the same; the article changes.
El profesor habla con la doctora.
The teacher speaks with the doctor.
Profesor changes to profesora; doctor changes to doctora.
La madre y el padre viven en Madrid.
The mother and the father live in Madrid.
Some family words are different words, not just changed endings.
Interactive practice
Click, listen, correct, repeat.
This lesson behaves like a real app module: choose answers, get immediate feedback, hear Spanish phrases, and reset the whole round when you want another pass.
0/ 20 correct
Exercise 1
Choose el or la
Tap the correct article for each noun.
0/6 correct
___ hijo
___ hija
___ padre
___ madre
___ estudiante (female student)
___ pianista (male pianist)
Exercise 2
Change masculine to feminine
Choose the best feminine form.
0/5 correct
el profesor ->
el doctor ->
el niño ->
el estudiante ->
el pianista ->
Exercise 3
Profession noun quiz
Choose the noun phrase that matches the person.
0/4 correct
Who is she?
Who is he?
Who is she?
Who is he?
Exercise 4
Final check
Mix articles, family, and profession patterns.
0/5 correct
___ abuela
___ amigo
___ actriz
___ paciente (female patient)
___ modelo (male model)
Lesson result
Finish every card to complete the lesson.
The goal is not one lucky answer. The goal is fast recognition: article, gender pattern, noun phrase, then sound.
0
correct answers
Next lesson
From nouns to agreement.
The next course step will connect gender to adjective endings: alto, alta, joven, inteligente, and the first sentence patterns learners need for real introductions.
Practice in the app