Spanish 1 Unidad 1 Etapa 2 Mis Buenos Amigos
Nouns
Spanish Nouns Nouns name people, animals, places, or things. All Spanish nouns have masculine or feminine gender. el chico la chica When nouns identify one item, they are singular. el amigo la amiga When they identify more than one item, they are plural. los amigos The gender of a noun must be learned. Usually: Nouns ending with o are masculine. Nouns ending with a are feminine. Notice the word usually! There are exceptions!
Spanish Nouns One cannot predict the gender of a noun that stands for a non-living thing. Try to predict whether the Spanish words for the following things are masculine or feminine: Masculine or feminine? book house money window One cannot predict the gender of a noun, except in the case of living creatures. Do not try to analyze the nature of the object, looking for some inherent masculinity or femininity. It won't work! Take a guess. Do you think the Spanish word for "dress" is masculine or feminine? You might expect it to be feminine, since a dress is an article of clothing worn by females. Actually, the word for "dress" is a masculine word: el vestido
Nouns & Number To make a noun plural add s to vowels and es to consonants. Amigo à Amigos Doctor à doctores If a noun ends in -z, add -es and change the z to c. el lápiz: los lápices Special Note: A feminine noun that starts with A or HA and is stressed on the first syllable takes the masculine article in the singular form. For example, the singular form of water is: el agua. When it is plural it becomes: las aguas.
Gender of Nouns Masculine nouns, referring to people, that end in a consonant often have a corresponding feminine form that ends in -a. el profesor, la profesora Some nouns that refer to people use the same form for both masculine and feminine. These nouns indicate gender by the article (el or la). el estudiante, la estudiante Nouns that end in -sión, -ción, -dad, -tad, -tud, -umbre are feminine. Many nouns that end in -ma are masculine. el programa, el poema, el clima (exceptions: la pluma, la cama) Some nouns end in -a and are masculine. el dia, el mapa, el sofa A few nouns that end in -o are feminine. la mano, la radio
Definite Articles Definite articles speak of a particular item. Give me THE cookie. In Spanish, the definite article ( the ) accompanies all nouns. In English, the definite article is the word "the" regardless of whether the noun it introduces is singular or plural. The Spanish Article will match a noun s gender and number! *Remember the masculine plural will be used if there is a mixed gender! There are four types of definite articles: Masc. Fem. el la Singular los las Plural
Definite Articles - Practice 1. camisa 2. vestidos 3. computadoras 4. literatura 5. burro 6. cine *can you guess?* 7. habitación 8. idioma
Actividad 6 Los Vecinos de Raúl 1. chicas son Ana y Luisa. 2. señorita Madrigal es maestra. 3. muchacho es Juan. 4. hombres son doctores. 5. muchachos son estudiantes. 6. mujer es la señora Ramos. 7. muchacha es estudiante. 8. señoras son doctoras. 9. señor Robles es policía. 10. señores Suarez son maestros.
Indefinite Articles Indefinite articles speak of any number of an item. Give me A cookie. This is not specific, I could be talking about any old cookie. In English, the indefinite articles are a, an, or some. A cookie, an apple, some bananas It will match a noun s gender and number! Note: Remember, the rule about mixed gender masculine form takes over. Unos gatos" could be10 male cats, or it could refer to a group of 9 female cats and one male cat. There are four types of indefinite articles: Masc. Fem. un una Singular unos unas Plural
Indefinite Articles - Practice 1. camisa 2. vestidos 3. computadoras 4. literatura 5. burro 6. cine 7. habitación 8. idioma
Using Adjectives to Describe Gender Adjectives describe nouns. Like articles, they match the gender and number of the nouns they describe. Masculine adjectives usually end with o. Feminine adjectives usually end with -a. Adjectives follow nouns they modify. Most adjectives that end with e match both genders. El chico inteligente, la chica inteligente Many adjectives that end with a consonant match both genders. un día fenomenal, la obra fenomenal Some add a to become feminine. El chico trabajador, la chica trabajadora
Practice Gender La Camisa (morado) El zapato (azul) El sombrero (rojo) La chica (guapo) El papel (grande) La mujer (simpático) La estudiante (trabajador)
Actividad 10 Los Amigos de Francisco 1. Graciela es una amiga [simpático(a)]. 2. Mónica es [malo(a)]. 3. Javier no es un chico muy [interesante]. 4. Rosalinda es una chica [bonito(a)]. 5. Felipe es un amigo [aburrido(a)]. 6. Qué [cómico(a)] es Raúl! 7. Linda es [divertido(a)]. 8. Es un perro muy [inteligente]. 9. Qué [fuerte] es Guillermo. 10. Alma es [bueno(a)].
Using Adjectives to Describe Number Adjectives must also match the number of the nouns they describe. To make an adjective plural, add s if it ends with a vowel, -es if it ends with a consonant. Los chicos guapos, divertidos y fenomenales. Las chicas guapas, divertidas y fenomenales. When an adjective describes a group with both genders, the masculine form of the adjective is used. El chico y la chica son guapos.
Practice Las Camisas (morado) Los zapatos (azul) Los sombreros (rojo) Las chicas (guapo) Los papeles (grande) Las mujeres (simpático) Las estudiantes (trabajador)
Special Adjectives The words bueno or malo precede a masculine singular noun, they are shortened to buen and mal. El buen chico, el mal hombre When grande precedes any singular noun, it becomes gran and its meaning changes to great. Un gran estudiante Sometimes, a descriptive adjective can precede the noun. If the adjective is descriptive, but speaks of a quality that is inherent and usually taken for granted, the adjective comes first. la blanca nieve the white snow (snow is inherently white) los altos picos the tall peaks (peaks are inherently tall)
Practice 1. El gato (blanco) 2. Las chicas (inteligente) 3. Los calcetines (amarillo) 4. Las mujeres (serio) 5. La camisa (feo) 6. El sombrero y la bolsa (negro) 7. El hombre (bueno) 8. Las estudiantes (moreno) 9. La gata y la perra (gordo) 10. Los pantalones (grande)