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Understanding nouns, articles and adjective agreement is the foundation of Spanish grammar. Every noun in Spanish has a gender (masculine or feminine) and a number (singular or plural), and all articles and adjectives must agree with the noun they describe.
| Rule | Examples | Exceptions to know |
|---|---|---|
| Nouns ending in -o are usually masculine | el libro, el amigo, el colegio | la mano (hand), la foto (photo), la moto (motorbike) |
| Nouns ending in -a are usually feminine | la mesa, la casa, la chica | el día (day), el mapa (map), el problema, el tema, el sistema |
| Nouns ending in -ción, -sión, -dad, -tad are feminine | la nación, la televisión, la ciudad, la libertad | — |
| Nouns ending in -ma (of Greek origin) are often masculine | el problema, el tema, el sistema, el programa | la cama (bed) |
| Nouns ending in -ista can be either gender | el/la periodista, el/la dentista | Depends on the person |
Exam tip: Learn the common exceptions — especially "el día", "el mapa", "el problema", "la mano". These are favourites in grammar-testing questions.
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | el | los |
| Feminine | la | las |
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | un | unos |
| Feminine | una | unas |
| Ending | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Vowel | Add -s | libro → libros, casa → casas |
| Consonant | Add -es | ciudad → ciudades, profesor → profesores |
| -z | Change to -ces | lápiz → lápices, vez → veces |
| Unstressed vowel + -s | No change | el lunes → los lunes, la crisis → las crisis |
Adjectives MUST agree with the noun they describe in gender and number.
| Adjective type | Masc. sing. | Fem. sing. | Masc. pl. | Fem. pl. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ends in -o | alto | alta | altos | altas |
| Ends in -e | grande | grande | grandes | grandes |
| Ends in consonant | fácil | fácil | fáciles | fáciles |
| Ends in -or | trabajador | trabajadora | trabajadores | trabajadoras |
| Ends in -ista | optimista | optimista | optimistas | optimistas |
In Spanish, most adjectives go after the noun (unlike English):
Some common short adjectives can go before the noun:
Exam tip: Adjective agreement errors are heavily penalised. Always check that your adjective matches the noun in gender and number. A common mistake: "una chica simpático" — it MUST be "simpática".
| Masculine sing. | Feminine sing. | Masculine pl. | Feminine pl. | English | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Near | este | esta | estos | estas | this / these |
| Medium | ese | esa | esos | esas | that / those |
| Far | aquel | aquella | aquellos | aquellas | that (over there) / those |
flowchart TD
Start[Spanish noun] --> Ending{Check ending}
Ending -->|ends in -o| Masc[Masculine: el / un]
Ending -->|ends in -a| Fem[Feminine: la / una]
Ending -->|ends in -ción / -sión / -dad / -tad| Fem
Ending -->|ends in -ma Greek origin| Masc
Ending -->|exception: día, mapa, problema| Masc
Ending -->|exception: mano, foto, moto| Fem
Masc --> Number1{Singular or plural?}
Fem --> Number2{Singular or plural?}
Number1 -->|sing| MS[Adj: -o / -e / consonant]
Number1 -->|pl| MP[Adj: -os / -es / -es]
Number2 -->|sing| FS[Adj: -a / -e / consonant]
Number2 -->|pl| FP[Adj: -as / -es / -es]
MS --> Check[Match gender AND number]
MP --> Check
FS --> Check
FP --> Check
Task: Translate the English paragraph below into Spanish, then check every noun for gender, every article for agreement, and every adjective for gender and number.
English source: "My favourite city is Granada. It is a beautiful city in the south of Spain. The streets are narrow and the houses are white. There is a famous palace called the Alhambra and the views from there are spectacular. The people are friendly and the food is delicious."
Spanish translation:
Mi ciudad favorita es Granada. Es una ciudad bonita en el sur de España. Las calles son estrechas y las casas son blancas. Hay un palacio famoso que se llama la Alhambra y las vistas desde alli son espectaculares. La gente es simpatica y la comida es deliciosa.
Step-by-step agreement check:
Five different agreement patterns demonstrated: -o/-a (bonita), default -e (espectaculares), feminine -d ending (ciudad), collective singular (gente), and ending matching number not gender (espectaculares). This is the breadth of agreement an AQA examiner expects to see in a Higher-tier writing answer.
The single most common Foundation-tier error is treating la gente as plural: la gente son simpaticos is wrong — it must be la gente es simpatica. Equally, students forget that el agua is grammatically feminine despite using el: it is el agua fria, never el agua frio. A third trap is el problema, el dia, el mapa — these end in -a but are masculine because of their Greek origin, so adjectives must be masculine: un problema serio, NOT una problema seria.
AQA Paper 4 Writing prompt: "Describe tu casa y tu ciudad." (Describe your house and your town.)
Grade 3-4 response: Mi casa es grande. Tiene cuatro habitaciones. Mi habitacion es pequena pero bonita. Vivo en una ciudad pequena. Hay tiendas y un parque. Me gusta mi ciudad. — Six adjectives, all agreeing correctly with their nouns (grande invariant, pequena and bonita feminine to match habitacion/ciudad). Simple sentences, no errors. Likely 12-14/25 (Foundation tier scaling).
Grade 5-6 response: Mi casa es bastante moderna y tiene un jardin grande con muchas flores bonitas. En la planta baja hay un salon comodo y una cocina espaciosa. Mi habitacion favorita es mi dormitorio porque es tranquila. Vivo en una ciudad mediana en el norte de Inglaterra. Las calles son limpias y los edificios son antiguos pero interesantes. — Ten adjectives, mix of -o/-a (moderna, bonita), default -e (grande), and consonant-ending plural (interesantes). Demonstrative implied. Plural agreement on calles/edificios is correct. Likely 18-20/25.
Grade 7-9 response: Vivo en una casa adosada de tres plantas en las afueras de una ciudad bastante ajetreada del noroeste de Inglaterra. Aunque la casa no es muy grande, es acogedora y tiene un jardin pequeno donde mi madre cultiva unas rosas preciosas. Mi habitacion, que comparto con mi hermana menor, esta decorada con posters de mis grupos favoritos y unos cuadros antiguos que heredamos de mi abuela. La ciudad en si es vibrante: las calles del centro estan llenas de tiendas independientes y de cafeterias modernas, mientras que los barrios residenciales son tranquilos y muy verdes. — Sixteen adjectives demonstrating every agreement pattern: -o/-a (adosada, ajetreada, antiguos), default -e (grande, vibrante, verdes), -or (no instances here but pattern shown elsewhere), invariant short adjectives (tres plantas), demonstrative implied, and complex plural agreement (calles llenas, barrios residenciales tranquilos y verdes). Likely 23-25/25.
Task: Translate this UK Year 11 student profile into Spanish, paying scrupulous attention to every noun's gender, every article, and every adjective. The English layers tricky triggers — feminine -d nouns, gente and familia as collective singulars, masculine plural deberes — into one profile.
English profile: "My name is Charlotte and I am a student in a small school in the north of England. My family is friendly and we have two black cats. My older brother is hard-working but my younger sister is quite lazy. The teachers at my school are demanding but the classes are interesting. My favourite subjects are Spanish and history, although the homework is sometimes difficult. The people in my town are very kind and the streets are clean and quiet."
Step 1 — flag the agreement traps:
Step 2 — full Spanish translation: Me llamo Charlotte y soy una estudiante en un colegio pequeño en el norte de Inglaterra. Mi familia es simpática y tenemos dos gatos negros. Mi hermano mayor es trabajador pero mi hermana menor es bastante perezosa. Los profesores de mi colegio son exigentes pero las clases son interesantes. Mis asignaturas favoritas son el español y la historia, aunque los deberes son a veces difíciles. La gente de mi pueblo es muy amable y las calles están limpias y tranquilas.
Why this is exam-worthy: every agreement pattern from the lesson is demonstrated — collective singulars familia and gente, masculine plural deberes, default -e plurals (interesantes, exigentes), -or adjective (trabajador), and ser vs estar discrimination (son for description, están for condition).
AQA Paper 4 Foundation Q3 prompt: "Describe a tu familia y a tus amigos. Menciona: cómo son físicamente, su personalidad, y qué hacéis juntos. (50 palabras, 10 marks.)"
How to start: open with En mi familia somos... and deliver TWO description adjectives. Key phrases for higher grades: mi madre es alta y muy simpática, mis amigos son divertidos y leales, somos una familia unida. What to include: at least four adjectives demonstrating different patterns — one -o/-a (alto/alta), one default -e (inteligente), one -or (trabajador/trabajadora), one plural consonant ending (jóvenes, leales); one ser/estar contrast. Avoid: mi familia son (must be es); flipping gender (mi madre es alto — must be alta); forgetting plural -s.
This content is aligned with the AQA GCSE Spanish (8692) specification, Grammar and Paper 1 Listening, Paper 2 Speaking, Paper 3 Reading, Paper 4 Writing. For the most accurate and up-to-date information, please refer to the official AQA specification document.