Spanish nouns change form to show whether they are singular or plural, and they usually have a gender. This cheat sheet helps students choose the correct article, noun ending, and adjective ending in simple Spanish phrases. It is useful for writing and checking sentences about people, places, objects, and descriptions.
Key Facts
- To make most nouns ending in a vowel plural, add -s, as in libro to libros and chica to chicas.
- To make most nouns ending in a consonant plural, add -es, as in papel to papeles and profesor to profesores.
- If a singular noun ends in -z, change z to c and add -es, as in lápiz to lápices.
- Definite articles must agree with the noun: el is masculine singular, la is feminine singular, los is masculine plural, and las is feminine plural.
- Indefinite articles must agree with the noun: un is masculine singular, una is feminine singular, unos is masculine plural, and unas is feminine plural.
- Adjectives must agree in number and gender with the noun, as in el chico alto, la chica alta, los chicos altos, and las chicas altas.
- Adjectives ending in -e often use the same form for masculine and feminine, but still add -s in the plural, as in interesante and interesantes.
- When a group has both masculine and feminine nouns, use the masculine plural form, as in los chicos y las chicas are los estudiantes.
Vocabulary
- Noun
- A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea, such as estudiante, escuela, or libro.
- Plural
- Plural means more than one, and Spanish usually shows it by adding -s or -es to a noun.
- Gender
- Gender is the Spanish category of masculine or feminine that affects articles and adjectives.
- Definite article
- A definite article means the and changes form as el, la, los, or las to match the noun.
- Indefinite article
- An indefinite article means a, an, or some and changes form as un, una, unos, or unas.
- Agreement
- Agreement means that articles and adjectives match the noun in gender and number.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using the singular article with a plural noun is wrong because the article must match number, so el libros should be los libros.
- Adding only -s to a noun ending in a consonant is wrong because most consonant-ending nouns take -es, so profesor becomes profesores.
- Forgetting to change z to c in plural nouns is wrong because Spanish spelling changes lápiz to lápices, not lápizes.
- Leaving an adjective singular with a plural noun is wrong because adjectives must agree in number, so las casas blanca should be las casas blancas.
- Using feminine agreement for a mixed group is usually wrong because Spanish uses the masculine plural for groups with at least one masculine noun, such as los amigos.
Practice Questions
- 1 Change la flor to the plural with the correct article.
- 2 Write the plural form of el lápiz and explain the spelling change.
- 3 Choose the correct phrase: los estudiantes inteligentes or los estudiantes inteligente.
- 4 Explain why la chica alta changes to las chicas altas when it becomes plural.