Definite and indefinite articles andgender of nouns Art´ıculos definidos e indefinidos y g ´enero de sustantivos Level 1 1.1 The definite and indefinite articles Los art´ıculos definidos
Trang 1Definite and indefinite articles and
gender of nouns (Art´ıculos definidos
e indefinidos y g ´enero de
sustantivos)
Level 1
1.1 The definite and indefinite articles (Los art´ıculos definidos e indefinidos)
1.2 General features of gender – masculine nouns (Detalles generales de
sustantivos masculinos)
1.3 General features of gender – feminine nouns (Detalles generales de
sustantivos femeninos)
1.4 Further features of gender (Otros detalles de g ´enero)
1.5 Nouns of varying gender (Nombres de g ´enero variable)
1.1 The definite and indefinite articles
The articles in Spanish, as with all Romance languages, vary in form to indicate genderand number In this unit we shall deal with gender There are no available rules fordetermining the masculine and feminine genders of Spanish nouns The gender of mostSpanish nouns have, unfortunately, to be learnt, just as learners of English have to learnhow to spell individual words It is true that there is usually a reason for the genderassigned, but the origin is frequently obscure or untraceable Nevertheless, there aresome general considerations of great help to the learner What is certain is that retainingthe gender of nouns will help to prevent cerebral decay
i First we must look at how the definite and indefinite article are used before the
noun:
Masculine Feminine
Definite article el the la the
Indefinite article un a/an una a/an
These articles are always placed before the noun:
Trang 2ii Feminine nouns beginning with a stressed a or ha are preceded by el and not la:
el agua the water el hacha the ax el (h)arpa the harp el asma asthma
el hambre the hunger el alma the soul el ama de housewife
la casa Other feminine nouns preceded by el:
el alza rise, increase el habla speech
el aula lecture room el haya beech tree
el haba bean
But remember that if the article precedes an unstressed (h)a, la is used:
la ambici´on, la alhaja – the jewel, la Alhambra/hamaca – hammock
The change does not occur before adjectives of like form:
la alta torre – the tall tower, la alta estimaci´on – the high esteem
iii When the masculine singular form of the definite article, el, comes immediately
after the prepositions a or de, there is a contraction: al, del
al ni˜no/al profesor / al bosque to the child / teacher / wood
del chico / del hombre / del coche of the boy / man / car
iv If the noun is feminine, a la / de la are used, as you would expect:
a la mesa / de la mesa to / of the table
From now on, the for el and la will not be used in the lists.
1.2 General features of gender – masculine nouns
i Names and designations of males, and the males of large and well-known animals,
are masculine, irrespective of endings:
el cardenal cardinal el pr´ıncipe prince
ii Gender associated with noun ending – in most cases, nouns ending in o are masculine:
el cigarro cigar(ette) (i.e both) el palo stick
el hombro shoulder
Exceptions are:
la mano hand
Trang 3Foto and moto are shortened forms of fotograf´ıa and motocicleta while radio is masculine in
Mexico Radio meaning “radius” is masculine in Spain and Mexico.
iii Some masculine nouns ending in o do not change their ending when denoting
females:
iv Nouns ending in or are mainly masculine:
Exception:
la labor work
When a feminine noun is implied or understood: la Gestapo, la UNESCO.
v Nouns ending in aje:
el andamiaje scaffolding el paisaje landscape
vi Nouns ending in men:
el r´egimen r´egime
vii Nouns ending in gen:
el origen but imagen is feminine
viii The proper names of countries or territories are masculine, except when they end
in unstressed a.
(el) Brasil, (el) Canad´a, (el) Chile, (los) Estados Unidos (United States), (el) Jap´on, (el) M´exico, (los) Pa´ıses Bajos (Netherlands), (el) Panam´a, (el) Per´u
The following countries are therefore feminine
Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, China, Colombia, Espa˜na, Francia, Grecia, Guatemala, Holanda, India, Italia, Nueva Zelanda, Rusia, Venezuela
ix The following types of noun are all masculine.
Rivers el Amazonas (Amazon), el R´ıo Bravo (M) (Rio
Grande) but el R´ıo Grande in Spain, el
Paran´a, el Sena (Seine), el T´amesis (Thames),
el Colorado, el Nilo, el Rin (Rhine)
Seas/Oceans El Atl´antico / el Pac´ıfico / el Mediterr´aneo
Mountains El Himalaya, el Acongagua, los Andes, el
Popocatepetl, los Alpes; and volcanos: el
Trang 4Vesubio (Vesuvius) (but las (Monta˜nas) Rocosas= Rockies)
Cars el Chrysler, el Ford, el Toyota, el Mercedes, el
Porsche, el Maserati
Ships and aircraft carriers el Reina Mary, el Nimitz, el Enterprise
Languages el espa˜nol, el franc´es, el ingl´es brit´anico / americano,
el ruso, el chino
Metals el hierro (iron), el cobre (copper), el acero (steel),
el bronce (bronze)
Many trees el olmo (elm), el roble (oak), el fresno (ash), el
´alamo (poplar) but el (i.e feminine) haya
(beech), la encina (holm oak), la higuera
(fig tree)
i The designations of females are feminine:
ii Most nouns ending in a are feminine:
la comida meal, food
Exceptions – nouns denoting males:
Note also that centinela is a masculine noun= sentry
iii The majority of nouns ending in o change it to a to form the feminine:
el alumno / la alumna pupil
el amigo / la amiga friend
el cocinero / la cocinera cook
el conocido / la conocida acquaintance
el criado / la criada male / female servant
el hu´erfano / la hu´erfana orphan
el muchacho / la muchacha boy / girl
iv Nouns ending in: –ma, -dad (many of these), -tad (just a few of these), -tud, -i ´on
(many of these), -umbre, -ie and -sis are feminine:
Trang 5(el) asma asthma la gema gem
la cama bed la lima file
la crema (M) cream la trama plot
la estratagema stratagem la yema yolk, fingertip
la forma form
-dad
la agilidad agility la severidad severity
la ansiedad anxiety la sociedad society
la enfermedad sickness, illness la verdad truth
crisis, metamorfosis, s´ıntesis, tesis
But the following are masculine:
el carisma, cisma (schism), clima, cometa (comet), delta, d´ıa (day), emblema, mapa, planeta, problema, tranv´ıa (streetcar / tram).
In all these cases, save d´ıa, mapa, and tranv´ıa, the fact that these nouns end in a but are
masculine is explained by their Greek origin Etymology can be fascinating
Note also: pijama which is masculine in Spain and feminine in Mexico Matters are not
improved with this word since it is even spelt differently in Mexico: piyama The same
goes for American and British English (Pajamas [AE] / pyjamas [BE]), so it is difficult to
win here
v The following are also masculine:
el avi´on airplane el sarampi´on measles
el gorri´on sparrow el cami´on truck but commonly bus in M
and
Trang 6el an´alisis analysis el ´extasis ecstasy
el apocalipsis apocalypse el par´entesis parenthesis
el ´enfasis emphasis
vi The following types of nouns are feminine:
(Corsica), Cerde˜na (Sardinia), Sicilia (last
three in the Mediterranean) But las Islas
de los Gal´apagos (Galapagos Islands)
Letters of the alphabet la a, la b, la c, la h (hache), etc.
These are all the rules of any value Much could be said about remembering the gender
of Spanish nouns However, suffice it to say that the simplest and easiest way to learn thegender is, when you come across a new noun, put the article in front of it every time, andyou will learn by association, following the pattern of a Spanish-speaking child
1.4 Further features of gender
i Where the names of animals do not have distinct masculine and feminine forms,
macho and hembra (invariable) are used to make the distinction, but the gender does
not change:
el rinoceronte / los rinocerontes / la ardilla (squirrel) / las ardillas macho (for all four nouns)
el rat´on (mouse) / los ratones / la ardilla / las ardillas hembra (for all four nouns)
ii Family relations and titles
With nouns denoting titles and family relations, a masculine plural in Spanish maycorrespond to a masculine and feminine pair:
los Reyes Cat´olicos the Catholic Monarchs (Queen Isabel and
King Fernando)
los duques de Alba the Duke and Duchess of Alba
iii It could sometimes be unclear what certain plurals mean with respect to gender.
Ni˜nos, chicos, hijos and reyes are good cases in point Hijos, for instance, could signify three
sons, or two sons and one daughter, or one son and two daughters Unfortunately, forfemales, even when the male is in a minority, as in the last case, the plural is still masculine
Clarification comes with, for example: dos hijos y una hija, dos hijas y un hijo And if this still does not clear up the ambiguity, and you had three sons, you could say tres varones after
tres hijos: Tiene tres hijos, o sea (that is) tres varones.
Trang 71.5 Words of varying gender
i
arte When masculine singular= individual art: el arte azteca/cl´asico/precolombiano
When collective= the Arts: las bellas artes/artes decorativas/pl´asticas
mar Masculine in general: Me gusta nadar en el mar, el Mar Mediterr´aneo
Sometimes feminine in formal, poetic style, and frequently in set phrases:
Lo/La (M) pas´e la mar de bien (I had a great time), en alta mar (on the high seas),
mar gruesa (heavy sea), mar picada (choppy sea), hacerse a la mar (to put to sea) margen When= river bank it is feminine and usually found in literary texts
When masculine= margin (of page/maneuver), edge (of society)
ii There are nouns that are both masculine and feminine and with the same meaning:
interrogante question marat´on marathon (usually feminine)
armaz´on ( frame of a structure) lente ( = lens but los lentes in M =
glasses, i.e for seeing)
iii Names of towns
Usually towns are feminine but practice is not always clear, and there is no true guide:
en la Roma antigua, Guanajuato es bella, la atractiva Par´ıs
On the other hand it is perfectly acceptable to say:
todo Chihuahua/Acapulco/Valencia
There seems to be no rigid rule on this point It would even appear that in Mexico towns
are usually masculine, even when they end in a, like Chihuahua.
iv Soccer teams are referred to as masculine:
El Puebla, el Guadalajara, el Toluca, el Barcelona (more usually el Bar¸ca), el Real (Madrid)
Exercises Level 1
i Find the gender and meaning of the following nouns, and put el/la/un/una before
them:
casa, silla, plato, mesa, foco (M), bombilla, libro, botella, cuaderno, habitaci´on, costa,
fuente, reina, amigo, burro, caballo, jard´ın, mapa (careful! ), rey, v´ıctima (careful! ), ´area,
arma
ii Put del / de la / al / a la before the following nouns and find their meaning:
casa, mesa, caballo, habitaci´on, mapa, v´ıctima, ´area, arma, ´arbol, calle, pared, taza,
p´ajaro, escuela, departamento (M= apartment), apartamento, ´angel, ´aguila, anchoa, alga
iii Complete with the correct article indicating gender (choose which is more
appropriate between the definite and indefinite article but either will do
in some cases):
a ( ) chica trabaja todo ( ) d´ıa
b En ( ) suelo hay ( ) gato
c ( ) padre est´a sentado en ( ) sill´on
d ¿Ves ( ) reloj en ( ) mesa?
Trang 8e ( ) flor est´a en ( ) jard´ın
f ( ) mujer est´a en ( ) calle
g Veo ( ) ´arbol en ( ) parque
h ( ) estudiante habla con ( ) profesora / ( ) profesor
i ( ) p´ajaro canta en ( ) cielo
j ( ) casa est´a detr´as de ( ) jard´ın
iv Paired activity
Objective – Learn the gender of nouns
Method – Ask each other, in turn, the gender of a noun.
Both participants spend two minutes collecting a list of ten nouns, from level 1
Example
The first person asks: ¿Cu´al es el g´enero del nombre “carro?” (What is the gender of the noun
carro?) Answer: “Carro” es masculino.
The partner asks: ¿Cu´al es el g´enero del nombre “casa?” Answer: “Casa” es femenino.
When all ten questions have been asked, the teacher/instructor brings the class togetherand asks, in simple Spanish, if there are any difficult genders
Level 2
2.1 More on the definite and indefinite articles (M ´as detalles sobre los art´ıculos
definidos e indefinidos)
2.2 The neuter gender (El g ´enero neutro)
2.3 Same noun but different meaning according to the gender (El mismo
sustantivo pero otro sentido seg ´un el g ´enero)
2.4 Problem genders (G ´eneros problem ´aticos)
2.5 Gender of compound nouns (G ´enero de nombres compuestos)
2.6 Words distinguished by the ending a/o (Voces con terminaci ´on a/o)
2.7 Misleading similarities (Falsos amigos)
2.1 More on the definite and indefinite articles
i A few nouns with endings other than a have a common form for both genders:
el/la c´omplice, el/la criminal, el/la hereje (heretic), joven (young man or girl), m´artir, miembro, reo (accused person / convicted offender), testigo (witness), vocal (committee member)
ii Names of some cities are preceded by the definite article:
El Cairo, El Cabo (Cape Town), La Coru˜na (in Spain), El Cuzco (in Peru), El Ferrol (in
Spain), La Habana
Hence Voy a El Cabo, a El Cairo, a La Coru˜na, but in speech, in Spain, you frequently hear
Voy al Ferrol, and most Mexicans would say Voy a Cuzco.
iii The names of several countries have traditionally been preceded by the definite
article, especially when the country is masculine, but this usage is fast disappearing.
These include el Brasil, el Canad ´a, el Chile, el Ecuador, el Jap ´on, el Paraguay, el
Uruguay, but nearly all Spanish speakers say nowadays Voy a Brasil, Canad ´a, Jap ´on,
etc At the same time, there are three countries where the definite article is still
used: Los Estados Unidos, El Reino Unido (United Kingdom), La India It should be
Trang 9added that when the plural Los precedes Estados Unidos when it is the subject of a verb, the verb is in the plural When Estados Unidos stands alone, i.e without Los, as the subject of the sentence, the verb is in the singular: Los Estados Unidos forman un
bloque econ ´omico muy importante / Estados Unidos se opone a la sugerencia ( is
opposed to the suggestion).
iv The definite article is required if the name of the country is qualified by an adjective
or a phrase:
el Asia rusa, el Asia Menor, el M´exico contempor´aneo, la fecunda Italia (fertile Italy), la Argentina de los a˜nos sesenta (( ) of the sixties)
v Technically, each noun is preceded by the article but this usage is also slipping away,
and not only in speech When the nouns are closely associated with each other, this is especially true It also applies to nouns of different gender:
la energ´ıa y celo (m) que muestra the energy and zeal he shows
El descuido y negligencia (f ) del soldado the soldier’s carelessness and negligence
El inter´es, inteligencia (f ), honradez (f) del empleado the clerk’s interest, intelligence and honesty
vi The article is not repeated after o= or, before a noun that is merely a synonym or explanation of the preceding noun:
el vest´ıbulo o entrada de la casa the hall or entrance to the house
Edimburgo es la capital o ciudad principal de
Escocia
Edinburgh is the capital or main city
of Scotland
vii Both definite and indefinite articles are omitted before a noun in apposition
(i.e when it explains a preceding noun):
Veracruz, principal puerto en la costa oriental de
M´exico
Veracruz, main city
Quito, capital de Ecuador, posee un clima delicioso Quito, Ecuador’s capital, possesses
Unamuno, autor de la Generaci´on del ’98 Unamuno, author of
viii The article is used to express any of the elements or features of nature, animals and
plants of which only one can be supposed to be under consideration:
El sol puede ser peligroso The sun can be dangerous
El lirio es una flor vistosa The lily is a bright and colorful flower
El zorro tiene fama por su astucia The fox is well known for its cunning
La cig¨ue˜na es un ave pasajera The stork is a migratory bird
ix The article is used of representatives of a race, or parts or faculties of man, taken in a
general sense:
El paname˜no Panamanian
los estadounidenses/estadunidenses (M) North Americans
el blanco white person
el negro black person
los chinos (the) Chinese
los comunistas (the) Communists
Trang 10el h´ıgado (the) liver
el coraz´on (the) heart
la memoria (the) memory
el alma (the) soul
x It is used of epithets or nicknames following a proper name of a person:
Alejandro el Grande Alexander the Great (but also Alejandro
Magno)
xi A striking difference between Spanish and English is the use of the definite article in
Spanish before any noun that is representative of the entire class or species:
El pan es nutritivo Bread is nutritious
Las flores son el adorno de la tierra Flowers are the adornment of the earth
xii The Spanish article is used when nouns represent abstract qualities or ideas:
los estragos del tiempo the ravages of time
El orgullo es un defecto Pride is a defect
La envidia es un pecado capital Envy is a capital sin
El destino del hombre no se puede evitar Man’s destiny cannot be avoided
xiii The article is often used before a verb in the infinitive:
El hablar tanto es su falta principal Speaking so much is his main fault
El comer y el beber son necesarios a la vida Eating and drinking are necessary to life
El leer alto es una buena pr´actica Reading aloud is a good practice
El nadar es muy sano Swimming is very healthy
xiv The article is omitted when reference is made to professions:
Es m´edico/doctor(a)/profesor(a)/ingeniero(a)/enfermero(a), contable= (S)he is a doctor/teacher/engineer/nurse/accountant
But if the noun is qualified the article (usually indefinite) is used:
Es una doctora muy h´abil She is a very skillful physician/doctor
Es una contable muy competente He is a very competent accountant
xv The article is also omitted when a noun and adjective occur so frequently that they
become a set expression:
Es buena persona (S)he is a very nice person
Es buen cat´olico He’s a good Catholic
Es gran orador He’s a great speaker
xvi In elegant style, the article is frequently omitted in enumerations:
Asistieron al partido hombres, mujeres, ni˜nos, ancianos, y hasta burros Men, women, children, old
people and even donkeys went to the match
Trang 11xvii Formation of masculine/feminine pairs:
The most common masculine/feminine pairs are:
-o/-a el t´ıo / la t´ıa (uncle/aunt)
-e/-a el monje / la monja (monk/nun)
-or/-ora el autor / la autora (author)
Note also the following less common distinctive feminine endings:
-esa el abad / la abadesa abbott/abbess
-isa el profeta / la profetisa prophet/prophetess
-riz el actor / la actriz actor/actress
Note also nouns ending in -ista, e.g el/la corista (chorister) / pianista (pianist), violinista
(violinist)
Note that the feminine form of corista has the meaning of “chorus girl.”
xviii However, complications are not far away as illustrated by the two following
categories:
a When the feminine form already has a distinct meaning:
el f´ısico physicist la f´ısica physics
el alcalde mayor la alcaldesa mayor’s wife
el polic´ıa police officer la polic´ıa police (force)
b When there was no feminine form in existence, and few females in the job:
ministro (was masculine and feminine) and now ministra for feminine form
presidente (was M and F) and now presidenta for feminine form
c´onsul (el was used for both genders) but now la c´onsul
agente (formerly el for both genders) but now la agente
As women take on new roles in Western society, Spanish has, like French and Italian,had to find new feminines, and feminists are doing their best to establish new forms.The feminine form of professional nouns is now used regularly and applies to women in
these professions For example, m´edica signifies “female doctor” and not “doctor’s wife” but m´edico is still by far the preferred term; alcaldesa means “female mayor” and can mean
“mayor’s wife”; abogada only means “female lawyer”; polic´ıa is now the accepted term for
“policewoman” as well as “policeman” and “police force” (room for dangerous confusion
here?); primera ministra has now supplanted primer ministro for a female “prime minister.”
This change to a markedly feminine form still does not encourage dictionaries to put anequal number of examples in the feminine, as is the case in the present work, so there is
a residual resistance somewhere
The following are now acceptable feminine forms, in addition to those quoted above:
´arbitra (referee), candidata, clienta, concejala (city / town hall councilor), diputada (member of
parliament), edila (member of town hall council), jefa (head of an establishment), reportera,
senadora, sirvienta but, even here, concejal and edil can be feminine.
There is some limited comfort for females with a feminist tendency in the following:
the feminine form modista can mean “male fashion designer” but modisto is in current use However, strange as it may seem, un desnudo has to be masculine, as in French and Italian.
Does this say anything about the Latin psyche? Or does the noun simply refer to thepainting or sculpture? Perhaps it is the latter On the other hand, a male film star has to
be feminine: una estrella.