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Spanish I - Gender Nouns and Articles

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    Study Guide Spanish I – Gender Nouns and Articles 1. Articles When you learn a new noun in Spanish, it is important to learn its gender at the same time. The easiest way to do this is by learning the noun together with an article (like the or a ). Articles help you remember whether a word is masculine or feminine . 1.1 Definite Articles (The) A definite article is used when you are talking about a specific object . • In English , there is only one definite article: the o the girl o the book o the man o the chair English articles do not change based on gender. 1.2 Definite articles in Spanish In Spanish , definite articles do change based on the gender of the noun. • el = the (used with masculine nouns) • la = the (used with feminine nouns) This means the article tells you whether the noun is masculine or feminine.

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    Study Guide What this image shows: • la chica – the girl (feminine) • el libro – the book (masculine) • el hombre – the man (masculine) • la silla – the chair (feminine) You can tell the gender of each noun by looking at whether it uses el or la . 1.3 Indefinite Articles (A / An) An indefinite article is used when you are talking about something not specific . • In English , the indefinite article is a o a book o a chair For example: • Asking for “a book” is less specific than asking for “the book.” 1.4 Indefinite articles in Spanish Just like definite articles, Spanish indefinite articles change based on gender . • un = a (used with masculine nouns) • una = a (used with feminine nouns) What this image shows: • una chica – a girl (feminine) • un libro – a book (masculine)

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    Study Guide • un hombre – a man (masculine) • una silla – a chair (feminine) Again, the article ( un or una ) helps you remember the noun’s gender. 1.5 Why Learning Articles Is Important At this stage, it does not matter whether you learn: • el hombre or un hombre What matters is that: • el / un help you remember the noun is masculine • la / una help you remember the noun is feminine Later, you will focus more on choosing between “a” and “the.” For now, think of articles as tools to help you remember gender . 2 . Quiz: Articles 1. Question Which word for “the” is used with the Spanish word “noche” ? Answer Choices • el • la Correct Answer la Why This Is Correct In Spanish, nouns have grammatical gender. “Noche” (night) is a feminine noun, so it uses the feminine definite article “la.” For example:

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    Study Guide • La noche es oscura. (The night is dark.) Even though noche ends in - e (which can be masculine or feminine), it is feminine by rule and usage , so la is correct. 2. Question Which word for “the” is used with the Spanish word “actriz” ? Answer Choices • el • la Correct Answer la Why This Is Correct In Spanish, nouns have grammatical gender. • “Actriz” means actress and is a feminine noun. • Feminine singular nouns use the definite article “la.” For example: • La actriz ganó un premio. • (The actress won an award.) Even though “actriz” ends in - z , it refers to a female, so la is the correct article. 3 . Question Which word for “the” is used with the Spanish word “mapa” ? Answer Choices • el • la

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    Study Guide Correct Answer el Why This Is Correct Although “mapa” ends in - a , it is a masculine noun in Spanish. Therefore, it uses the masculine definite article “el.” For example: • el mapa (the map) This is a common exception in Spanish, so it’s important to memorize it. 4. Question Which word for “the” is used with the Spanish word “dilema” ? Answer Choices • el • la Correct Answer el Why This Is Correct In Spanish, dilema is a masculine noun , even though it ends in - a . Many nouns of Greek origin (such as problema, tema, sistema, and dilema ) are masculine. So, the correct form is: el dilema 5. Question Which word for “the” is used with the Spanish word “cooperación” ?

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    Study Guide Answer Choices • el • la Correct Answer la Why This Is Correct “Cooperación” is a feminine noun in Spanish. Most nouns ending in - ción are feminine, so they use the feminine definite article la . Example: • la cooperación internacional (international cooperation) 6. Question Which word for “the” is used with the Spanish word “papeleras” ? Answer Choices • los • las Correct Answer las Why This Is Correct • Papeleras ends in - as , which usually indicates a feminine plural noun in Spanish. • Feminine plural nouns use the definite article las .

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    Study Guide Example: • las papeleras = the trash cans Quick Rule to Remember: • las → feminine plural • los → masculine plural 7. Question Which word for “the” is used with the Spanish word “camarones” ? Answer Choices • los • las Correct Answer los Why This Is Correct In Spanish, “camarones” (shrimp) is a masculine plural noun. • Many nouns ending in - ones are masculine • The plural masculine definite article is los Example: • los camarones = the shrimp las is used only with feminine plural nouns, so it would be incorrect here. 8. Question Which word for “a/an” is used with the Spanish word “viaje” ?

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    Study Guide Answer Choices • un • una • el Correct Answer un Why This Is Correct The Spanish noun “viaje” (trip/journey) is masculine , even though it ends in - e . In Spanish: • un is used with masculine singular nouns • una is used with feminine singular nouns • el means “the” , not “a/an” So the correct phrase is un viaje (a trip). 9 . Question Which word for “the” is used with the Spanish word “muchedumbre” ? Answer Choices • el • la Correct Answer la

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    Study Guide Why This Is Correct Muchedumbre is a feminine noun in Spanish. Even though it refers to a group of people, its grammatical gender is feminine, so it takes the feminine definite article la . Example: • La muchedumbre estaba muy animada. • (The crowd was very lively.) Key rule: The article depends on the grammatical gender of the noun , not whether it refers to men, women, or a mixed group. 1 0 . Question Which word for “a/an” is used with the Spanish word “ordenador” ? Answer Choices • un • una Correct Answer un Why This Is Correct Ordenador is a masculine noun in Spanish (it ends in - or , which is typically masculine). Masculine singular nouns use un for “a/an,” while una is used with feminine nouns. Example: • un ordenador → a computer • una computadora → also correct, because computadora is feminine So, the correct choice is un

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    Study Guide 11. Question Madrid es _____ capital de España. Answer Choices • el • la Correct Answer la Why This Is Correct In Spanish, capital is a feminine noun , so it uses the feminine definite article la . Therefore, the correct sentence is: Madrid es la capital de España. Even though Madrid is a city name, the article agrees with the noun capital , not with the city itself. 12. Question Miguel de Cervantes es _____ novelista español. Answer Choices • una • un Correct Answer un Why This Is Correct In Spanish, articles ( un / una ) must agree with the gender of the noun , not the ending of the word. • Novelista can describe both men and women. • Miguel de Cervantes is male , so the masculine article un is used.

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