Is there a “sense” or “system” to Spanish noun genders?
• Generations of students studying Spanish have tried to come up with a system to make sense of and predict Spanish genders. If there were such a system, explaining why pared (“wall”) is feminine and reloj (“clock” or “watch”) is masculine, it would make the genders of nouns easier to learn. Unfortunately, there is no explanation for most noun genders, and they must be memorized as the arbitrary facts that they are. If one knows Lati n or another Romance language, genders are usually, though not always, the same as in these languages. • Almost all nouns ending in -o are masculine: • el libro (the book) • el piano (the piano) • el toro (the bull) • bueno (good) • hermoso (beautiful) • Exceptions: • la mano (the hand) • la radio (the radio, short for radiodifusión) • la moto (the motorcycle, short for motocicleta) • Most nouns ending in -a are feminine: • la bicicleta (the bicycle) • la vaca (the cow) • la biología (biology) • bonita (pretty) • There are many more exceptions to the -a =
