 Spanish
Stressed A - Feminine nouns with el or
un
There's an interesting phenomenon in Spanish regarding feminine nouns that
begin with a stressed A sound
(which can be written either a or ha). When these nouns are
singular and preceded directly by a definite
article,* the
masculine article is used instead of the feminine article you might expect.
Some common feminine stressed A words:
| el acta |
act, record |
| el agua |
water |
| el águila |
eagle |
| el ala |
wing |
| el alba |
dawn |
| el alga |
seaweed |
| el alma |
woman, soul |
| el arca |
chest, box |
| el arma |
weapon |
| el aspa |
cross |
| el aula |
classroom |
| el ave |
bird |
| el hacha |
axe |
| el hada |
fairy |
| el hambre |
hunger |
Notes:
*When dealing with an indefinite article,
Spanish speakers will often use the masculine form in front of these words, but
this is considered incorrect. It's only with the definite article that you
should use the masculine form.
1. Despite the masculine article, these nouns are feminine, which means that
everything but the singular article must agree with them, including:
| Quiero ver el agua azul. |
I want to see the blue water. |
| ¿Dónde están las aves? |
Where are the birds? |
| Tengo un arca muy bonita. |
I have a very pretty box. |
| No me gusta esta aula. |
I don't like this classroom. |
2. When there is an adjective between the article and noun, the article is
feminine:
| Es la última arma. |
It's the last weapon. |
| ¿Es una buena hada? |
Is it a good fairy? |
Spanish gender
exceptions Grammar
Pronunciation
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