GENDER OF NOUNS
Generally, nouns ending in ‘-O’ tend to be masculine and those ending in ‘-A’ are feminine. However, there are some groups of nouns which prove to be exceptions to that general rule.
MASCULINE NOUN EXCEPTIONS
Although feminine nouns usually end in ‘-A’, the following suffixes are exceptions to this trend: -
-ISTA
el futbolista – the football player
-MA
el programa – the programme
-CIDA
el insecticida – the insecticide
-AJE
el pasaje – the passage
-OR
el valor – the value
-ÁN
el refrán – the refrain
-AMBRE
el enjambre – the cluster
FEMININE NOUN EXCEPTIONS
The following suffixes usually take a FEMININE article: -
-IÓN
la estación – the station
-DAD
la unidad – the unity
-TAD
la libertad - freedom
-TUD
la virtud - virtue
-UMBRE
la incertidumbre – the uncertainty
-IE
la serie – the series
-EZA
la pobreza – the poverty
-NZA
la esperanza – the hope
-CIA
la violencia – the violence
-SIS
la crisis – the crisis
-ITIS
la bronquitis – the bronchitis
OTHER RULES FOR DETERMINING GENDER
When a noun is compound, use a MASCULINE article.
Example:
el limpiaparabrisas
the windshield wiper
Spanish words for fruits are usually FEMININE but the words for their trees are MASCULINE.
Example:
la manzana
the apple
el manzano
the apple tree