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Elements
of a Sentence
i-xx_001-600_McGrawHill_Complete.indb 2
1
Nouns, Articles, and Adjectives
Singular Nouns
Masculine
The masculine singular noun takes the definite article el.
Most nouns that end in -o are masculine. Pronounce the following words
aloud.
Feminine
The feminine singular noun takes the definite article la.
Most nouns that end in -a are feminine. Pronounce the following words
aloud.
la amiga the friend la lámpara the lamp
la blusa the blouse la mesa the table
la bolsa the bag la muchacha the girl
la cama the bed la niña the little girl
la casa the house la persona the person
la cerveza the beer la planta the plant
la comida the meal la silla the chair
la hermana the sister la tienda the store
la iglesia the church la ventana the window
Nouns that end in -ción, -sión, -dad, -tad, or -tud are feminine.
la canción the song la televisión the television
la conversación the conversation la ciudad the city
la invitación the invitation la verdad the truth
la lección the lesson la amistad the friendship
la ilusión the illusion la actitud the attitude
A few nouns that end in -o are feminine.
la foto the photograph
la mano the hand
la radio the radio
Many feminine nouns do not follow these patterns; therefore, it is impor-
tant to learn each noun with its article.
la clase the class la mujer the woman
la flor the flower la piel the skin
la luz the light la suerte the luck
K Exercise 1.1
Write the appropriate masculine or feminine form of the definite article for each of
the following nouns. As you write the answer, make sure you know the meaning of
the word.
Plural Nouns
Masculine
A masculine noun that ends in a vowel adds -s to form the plural; it takes
the definite article los.
Singular Plural
el día los días
el hermano los hermanos
el libro los libros
el muchacho los muchachos
el perro los perros
el problema los problemas
If the noun ends in a consonant, el changes to los and the noun adds -es.
Feminine
A feminine noun that ends in a vowel adds -s to form the plural; it takes the
definite article las.
If the noun ends in a consonant, la changes to las and the noun adds -es.
K Exercise 1.2
Write the plural form of each of the following singular nouns.
Feminine
una amiga a (female) friend una mujer a woman
una biblioteca a library una página a page
una ciudad a city una persona a person (male or
una idea an idea female)
una librería a bookstore una pluma a pen
una maleta a suitcase
Masculine
unos barcos some boats unos idiomas some languages
unos gatos some cats unos libros some books
Feminine
unas artistas some (female) artists
unas casas some houses
unas conversaciones some conversations
unas flores some flowers
K Exercise 1.3
Translate the following nouns into English. Remember to practice pronouncing the
words.
1. el libro
2. la página
3. la casa
4. las flores
5. el baño
6. el vino
7. el muchacho
8. el hermano
9. la biblioteca
10. el café
11. el tren
12. el planeta
13. el dentista
14. el jardín
15. la flor
Adjectives
An adjective is a word that describes a noun.
A Spanish adjective agrees in gender and number with the noun it modi
fies. In Spanish, an adjective almost always follows the noun it describes.
Adjectives that do not end in -o have the same form for describing both
masculine and feminine nouns. It doesn’t matter what letter ends the adjec-
tive, as long as it is not -o.
Masculine Feminine
el libro excelente la comida excelente
el perro horrible la cucaracha horrible
el poema difícil la lección difícil
el barco azul la pluma azul
el baño verde la cama verde
el tren gris la mesa gris
el tema interesante la idea interesante
el hombre fuerte la mujer fuerte
Key Vocabulary
Los colores (The colors)
amarillo yellow morado purple
anaranjado orange moreno brown-skinned
azul blue negro black
blanco white rojo red
gris gray rosado pink
marrón, pardo brown verde green
Other Adjectives
agradable agreeable, pleasant delgado slender
alegre happy difícil difficult
barato inexpensive estupendo great, terrific
caro expensive excelente excellent
débil weak fácil easy
K Exercise 1.4
Complete the following phrases with the following Spanish adjective.
Singular Plural
blanco blancos
roja rojas
verde verdes
excelente excelentes
gris grises
fácil fáciles
joven jóvenes
marrón marrones
Adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Review
each singular and plural form as you pronounce the following nouns and the
adjectives that describe them.
Masculine
Singular Plural
el libro blanco los libros blancos
el tomate rojo los tomates rojos
el hombre hermoso los hombres hermosos
el baño verde los baños verdes
el barco marrón los barcos marrones
el tren gris los trenes grises
el tiquete caro los tiquetes caros
Feminine
la casa blanca las casas blancas
la persona simpática las personas simpáticas
la mujer hermosa las mujeres hermosas
K Exercise 1.5
Write the plural form of each of the following noun and adjective phrases.
K Exercise 1.6
Translate the following phrases into Spanish.