Spanish nouns are words used to name everything around us: things, animals, people, places, feelings and ideas.
Examples of Spanish nouns:
- Things: libro (book), ventana (window), flor (flower).
- Animals: perro (dog), delfín (dolphin), jirafa (giraffe).
- People: Margarita, señor Pereira, Pipo.
- Places: París (Paris), España (Spain), parque (parque).
- Abstract ideas and feelings: amor (love), amistad (friendship), paz (peace).
Spanish nouns have gender, meaning they are either masculine or feminine. Most masculine nouns end in -o, while most feminine nouns end in -a. Gender also affects other words accompanying nouns, such as adjectives and articles, which must agree in gender with the noun:
El libro es muy bello. (libro: masculine noun)
The book is very beautiful.La casa es toda blanca. (casa: feminine noun)
The house is all white.
Spanish nouns also have number, meaning they are either singular, if there is only one, or plural, if there is more than one. Most plural nouns in Spanish end in -s or -es. Number also affects other words accompanying nouns, such as adjectives and articles, which must agree in number with the noun:
Cortaron unos árboles muy altos. (árboles: plural noun)
They cut down some very tall trees.Aquellas niñas son muy lindas. (niñas: plural noun)
Those girls are very pretty.
100+ most common Spanish nouns
Masculine and feminine nouns in Spanish: gender
All Spanish nouns have gender. This means they are either feminine or masculine. Broadly speaking, it can be said that:
- Most masculine nouns end in -o. All masculine nouns are preceded by the article el meaning “the”, or the article un meaning a.
| Examples of masculine nouns ending in -o: | ||
|---|---|---|
| libro book | oso bear | año year |
| tiempo time | maestro male teacher | periódico newspaper |
| amigo male friend | teléfono telephone | cuchillo knife |
| perro dog | zapato shoe | sombrero hat |
- Most feminine nouns end in -a. All feminine nouns are preceded by the article la meaning the, or the article una meaning a.
| Examples of feminine nouns ending in -a: | ||
|---|---|---|
| cara face | cama bed | manzana apple |
| silla chair | palabra word | luna moon |
| familia family | persona person | historia history |
| playa beach | cocina kitchen | bolsa bag |
- A large number of nouns can be made masculine or feminine by changing the -o / -a ending respectively:
hermano - hermana
brother - sisterniña - niño
girl - boyperro - perra
male dog - female doggato - gata
male cat - female catmédico - médica
male doctor - female doctor
- Other nouns have only one gender, which cannot be modified:
la mesa
the tablela lluvia
the rainel suelo
the groundel cuadro
the painting
- A number of nouns ending in -a are masculine. Conversely, some nouns ending in -o are feminine. The article helps identify the gender of the noun:
el día
the dayel problema
the problemla mano
the handla radio
the radio
- Some nouns ending in vowels other than -o and -a or in a consonant are “inherently” masculine or feminine by definition. The preceding article helps identify the gender of the noun:
| Masculine nouns ending in a vowel other than -o or consonant | Feminine nouns ending in a vowel other than -a or consonant |
|---|---|
| amor love | flor flower |
| árbol tree | verdad truth |
| diente tooth | fuente source |
| espíritu spirit | tribu tribe |
| héroe hero | serie series |
| tren train | vocal vowel |
Singular and plural nouns in Spanish: number
Just as happens in English, most Spanish nouns can be singular (when referring to only one), or plural (when referring to more than one). Plural nouns are marked by adding the ending -s or -es.
| Singular noun | Plural noun |
|---|---|
| casa house | casas houses |
| primo cousin | primos cousins |
| rey king | reyes kings |
| mujer woman | mujeres women |
Los mercados de París son realmente encantadores.
Paris markets are really charming.Mis primos juegan todo el día.
My cousins play all day long.
Exceptions: Singular nouns derived from Greek and Latin may end in -s: apocalipsis, lapsus, herpes.
Gender and number agreement in Spanish
The gender and number of Spanish nouns determine the gender and number of words modifying them, including articles, adjectives and pronouns:
el perro negro (masculine singular)
the black dog
los perros negros (masculine plural)
the black dogs
la fresa roja (feminine singular)
the red strawberry
las fresas rojas (feminine plural)
the red strawberries
Gender and number agreement with nouns:
| Masculine | Feminine | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Articles | Singular | el the un a/an | la the una a/an |
| Plural | los the unos some | las the unas some | |
| Adjectives | Singular | bello beautiful | bella beautiful |
| Plural | bellos beautiful | bellas beautiful | |
| Possessive pronouns | Singular | mío mine | mía mine |
| Plural | míos mine | mías mine | |
| Demonstrative pronouns | Singular | este this ese, aquel that | esta this esa, aquella that |
| Plural | estos these esos, aquellos those | estas these esas, aquellas those | |
Types of Spanish nouns
Spanish nouns can be classified into the following categories:
Proper nouns and common nouns
Proper nouns express the names of people, cities, countries, rivers, institutions, festivities and brands, among other names, making them unique entities and distinguishing them from the rest. They are always capitalized and do not take articles.
| Examples of proper nouns in Spanish | ||
|---|---|---|
| Juana | Islas Canarias | Japón |
| Sahara | Pacífico | Río de Janeiro |
| Francia | Everest | Iván |
| Urano | Buenos Aires | Amazonas |
| Martínez | Superman | Londres |
Juana viaja a Londres por trabajo.
Juana travels to London on business.Iván escaló el Aconcagua el año pasado.
Iván climbed the Aconcagua last year.
Common nouns are used to name things, people, animals, places and concepts of the same class in a general way, without providing their name, as proper nouns do. They are written in lowercase and are usually preceded by articles.
| Examples of common nouns in Spanish | ||
|---|---|---|
| flor flower | libro book | hombre man |
| huevo egg | río river | castillo castle |
| mujer woman | mensaje message | mar sea |
| maleta suitcase | árbol tree | ventana window |
| automóvil car | jarrón vase | lago lake |
Los niños están jugando en el parque.
The children are playing in the park.Se me rompió un diente.
I broke a tooth.
Common nouns are further subdivided into concrete or abstract, individual or collective, and countable or uncountable nouns.
Concrete and abstract nouns
Concrete nouns name tangible things, that is, physical objects that can be perceived through the senses (sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch).
| Examples of concrete nouns in Spanish | ||
|---|---|---|
| pan bread | sol sun | micrófono microphone |
| banco bank | teléfono telephone | luz light |
| vapor steam | cuaderno notebook | ojo eye |
| nieve snow | campera jacket | sudadera sweat shirt |
| sillón couch | hierro iron | planeta planet |
El abuelo lee el periódico.
Grandpa reads the newspaper.Me pican los ojos.
My eyes are itchy.
Abstract nouns express intangible things such as ideas, feelings and concepts that cannot be perceived through the senses. They are usually singular in number.
| Examples of abstract nouns in Spanish | ||
|---|---|---|
| amor love | fe faith | paciencia patience |
| amistad friendship | generosidad generosity | alegría joy |
| felicidad happiness | lealtad loyalty | empatía empathy |
| tristeza sadness | pasión passion | coraje courage |
| esperanza hope | honor honor | creatividad creativity |
Admiro la creatividad de los niños.
I admire the creativity of children.Ten fe; todo se va a solucionar.
Have faith; everything will work out.
Individual and collective nouns
Individual nouns are used to name things, people, animals and places individually and not as a collective group.
| Examples of individual nouns in Spanish | ||
|---|---|---|
| árbol tree | animal animal | soldado soldier |
| letra letter | persona person | libro book |
| abeja bee | flor flower | tecla key |
| estrella star | oveja sheep | barco ship |
| pájaro bird | pez fish | músico musician |
Las estrellas brillan en la oscura noche.
The stars twinkle in the dark night.¡Mira qué hermoso que es ese pájaro!
Look how beautiful that bird is!
Collective nouns are used to name a group of people, animals or things collectively, without using a plural word.
| Examples of collective nouns in Spanish | ||
|---|---|---|
| arboleda grove | manada pack | tropa troop |
| abecedario alphabet | multitud crowd | biblioteca library |
| colmena hive | ramo bunch | teclado keyboard |
| constelación constellation | rebaño herd, flock | flota fleet |
| bandada flock | cardumen school | orquesta orchestra |
La orquesta interpretará la Novena Sinfonía de Beethoven.
The orchestra will perform Beethoven's 9th Symphony.La Osa Mayor es la constelación más grande del hemisferio norte.
Ursa Major is the largest constellation in the Northern Hemisphere.
Countable and uncountable nouns
7. Countable nouns
Countable nouns name things that can be counted. They are either singular or plural.
| Examples of countable nouns in Spanish | ||
|---|---|---|
| juguete toy | anillo ring | hija daughter |
| dedo finger | avión plane | lámpara lamp |
| oso bear | piano piano | mariposa butterfly |
| pluma feather | bufanda scarf | tiburón shark |
| tomate tomato | pie foot | vestido dress |
Me encanta ese vestido.
I love that dress.Recojan sus juguetes; es hora de irse a dormir.
Put your toys away; it’s time to go to bed.
Uncountable nouns name things that cannot be counted, though they may be measured. They only have a singular form. Unlike English, Spanish uncountable nouns are usually preceded by articles.
| Examples of uncountable nouns in Spanish | ||
|---|---|---|
| agua water | música music | encanto charm |
| calor heat | aceite oil | viento wind |
| ruido noise | fatiga fatigue | polvo dust |
| azúcar sugar | gasolina gas | fuego fire |
| hambre hunger | pobreza poverty | pena pity |
La música embellece la vida.
Music makes life more beautiful.El agua es importante cuando hacemos ejercicio.
Water is important when we work out.
Compound nouns
Compound nouns are made up of two or more words that become one, forming a unity with a new meaning. Unlike in English, Spanish compound nouns are always written as one word.
| Examples of compound nouns in Spanish | ||
|---|---|---|
| rompecabezas puzzle | portabicicletas bike rack | pararrayos lightning rod |
| paraguas umbrella | matafuego fire extinguisher | cortaplumas penknife |
| pelapapas peeler | cascanueces nutcracker | salvavidas life jacket |
| abrelatas can opener | portarretratos photo frame | teléfono telephone |
| sacacorchos corkscrew | pisapapeles paperweight | televisor television |
Necesitamos un sacacorchos para abrir este vino.
We need a corkscrew to open this wine.Hay un portabicicletas en el patio de la universidad.
There’s a bike rack on the university patio.
Sentences with Spanish nouns
Debes lavar bien tus manos con jabón.
You must wash your hands with soap.
Su pasión es la música clásica.
Her passion is classical music.
El niño pinta las paredes con sus crayones.
The boy paints the walls with his crayons.
Mi sobrina ama la lluvia.
My niece loves rain.
Hay demasiado ruido en esta habitación.
There’s too much noise in this room.
María cocinó una cena deliciosa para la noche.
María cooked a delicious dinner for tonight.
¡Me encanta el helado!
I love ice cream!
Siempre vamos al mar en las vacaciones de verano.
We always go to the seaside during the summer vacation.
Tengo esperanzas de que todo va a estar bien.
I have hope that everything is going to be all right.
Necesitamos comprar azúcar.
We need to buy some sugar.
Tengo hambre.
I’m hungry.
Juan está comiendo una naranja.
Juan is eating an orange.
Hoy nos visitarán unos amigos.
Some friends are coming over today.
La mansión está embrujada.
The mansion is haunted.
Regaré las plantas del jardín.
I’ll water the plants in the garden.
Pedí un deseo antes de cortar el pastel.
I made a wish before cutting the cake.
El concierto estuvo maravilloso.
The concert was wonderful.
Este es el mejor libro que leí en mi vida.
This is the best book I’ve ever read in my life.
Amo esa canción.
I love that song.
Lo más importante es la libertad.
The most important thing is freedom.
Explore more:
- Spanish adjectives
- Spanish adverbs
- Spanish verbs
- Spanish prepositions
- Definite and indefinite articles in Spanish
Practice: Spanish nouns
References
- Real Academia Española, Nueva gramática de la lengua española, under “Marcas de género,” accessed August 14, 2024, https://www.rae.es/
- Real Academia Española, Nueva gramática de la lengua española, under “Introducción. Manifestaciones gramaticales del número,” accessed August 15, 2024, https://www.rae.es/
- Merriam-Webster Dictionary, accessed August 15, 2024, https://www.merriam-webster.com/
- Oxford Spanish Dictionary, 3rd ed. (Oxford University Press, 2003), CD ROM.
- Wordreference.com, accessed August 15, 2024, https://www.wordreference.com/es/
- Enciclopedia del Lenguaje, “Sustantivo,” by Vanesa Rabotnikof, last modified March 5, 2024, https://lenguaje.com/
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