Numbering items in Spanish

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Apart from adding the suffixes -s and -es, numbers can be observed in Spanish
nouns by using the numerals themselves with the nouns. They should agree with one
another – if the noun is more than one, a plural suffix should be present in the word. Here
is the table for Spanish numerals:

0	cero	[seh-ro]
1	uno	[oo-no]
2	dos	[dohs]
3	tres	[trehs]
4	cuatro	[kwat-roh]
5	cinco	[sink-oh]
6	seís	[seys]
7	siete	[see-eh-te]
8	ocho	[oh-cho]
9	nueve	[nweh-veh]
10	diez	[dee-ez]
11	once	[on-seh]
12	doce	[doh-seh]
13	trece	[tre-seh]
14	catorce	[ka-tor-seh]
15	quince	[keen-seh]
16	diez y seís	[dee-ehz ee seys]
17	diez y siete	[dee-ehz ee see ehteh]
18	diez y ocho
19	diez y nueve
20	veinte	[behn-teh]
21	veinte y uno	[behn-teh ee oo noh]
22	veinte y dos
30	treinta	[train-ta]
40	cuarenta	[kwa-ren-ta]
50	cincuenta	[sink-kwen-ta]
60	sesenta	[seh-sen-ta]
70	setenta	[seh-ten-ta]
80	ochenta	[oh-chen-ta]
90	noventa	[no- ben-ta]
100	cien	[see-ehn]
1000	mil	[mill]

Here are examples of nouns and numbers forming nominal phrases:
Un dia [oon dee-ya] ‘one day’
Ocho vasos de agua [oh-cho bah-sos de a-gwa] ‘8 glasses of water’
Doce meses cada año [do-seh meh-ses ka-da a-nyo] ’12 months a year’
Treinta y dos años [train-ta ee dos a-nyos] ’32 years’
Cien pesos [cee-ehn peh-sos] ‘100 pesos’

Spanish Plural Nouns

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Just like English, nouns in Spanish have a plural form - or in other words, they can show the difference between one item and more than one. Here are the rules for making plural nouns.

1. Add -s to nouns ending in vowels.
Vaca • Vacas [bah-kahs] ‘cows’
Gato • Gatos [gah-tos] ‘cats’
Plaza • Plazas [plah-sas] ‘towns’
Calle • Calles [kai-yehs] ‘streets’
Tía • Tías [tee-ahs] ‘aunts’


2. Add -es to nouns ending in consonants.
Papel • Papeles [pa-peh-les] ‘papers’
Color • Colores [koh-loh-res] ‘colors’
Ciudad • Ciudades [see-oo-dah-dehs] ‘cities’
Hotel • Hoteles [o-teh-les] ‘hotels’
Flor • Flores [floh-rehs] ‘flowers’
Mes • Meses [meh-ses] ‘months’

*Some nouns ending in /s/ don't change form when pluralized.
Jueves • Jueves [khwe-ves] ‘Thursdays’


3. For nouns ending in /z/, change the /z/ to /c/ then add -es.
Pez • Peces [peh-sehs] ‘fishes’
Luz • Luces [loo-sehs] ‘lights’
Vez • Veces [ve-sehs] ‘number of times’
Voz • Voces [vo-sehs] ‘voices’
Lapiz • Lapices [la-pi-sehs] ‘pencils’

Spanish Words with No Gender

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There is a 'third gender' in Spanish. Well, maybe not really a gender, but a third noun classification, and that's the 'neutral' or non-gender noun. Words belonging to this category can be either male or female, depending on the actual gender of the noun being referred to. They don't change endings like the words we discussed in the last post.

Let's look at some examples below:

Agente [ah- hen-te] ‘agent’
Adolescente [ah-doh- le-sen-teh] ‘adolescent’
Artista [ar-tees-tah] ‘artist’
Canguro [kan-goo-ro] kangaroo
Ciclista [see-klees-ta] ‘cyclist’
Cliente [klee- yen-teh] ‘client, customer’
Especialista [es-peh-sya- lees-tah] ‘specialist’
Estudiante [es-tu-dyan-te] ‘student’
Gerente [he-ren-te] ‘manager’
Periodista [pehr-ee-o-dis-ta] ‘journalist’
Policia [po-li-see-yah] ‘police officer’
Representante [re-pre-sen-tan-teh] ‘representative’
Taxista [taks-ee-stah] taxi driver

Just because the words themselves don't change based on gender, doesn't mean that Spanish doesn't have a way to let people know what gender you're actually talking about! Taking the first word on that list 'artista' - If I'm talking about say... Pablo Picasso, I would say 'el artista', with the article 'el' being a masculine modifier. On the other hand, if I'm talking about Mary Cassatt, she would be 'la artista', with the article 'la' letting everyone know that she is clearly a woman.

Gender Specific Spanish Nouns

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When speaking of people and animals, most Spanish nouns will refer directly to the gender of the nouns being referred to. Below are some samples of various Spanish nouns, with the masculine form of the word followed by the feminine form.

Arquitekto [ar-ki-tek-to] Arquitekta [ar-ki-tek-ta] ‘architect’
Cajero [ka-heh-ro] Cajera [ka-heh-ra] ‘cashier’
Chico [chi-ko] Chica [chi-ka] ‘boy/girl’
Director [di-rek-tor] Direktora [di-rek-to-ra] ‘director’
Dueño [dwe-nyo] Dueña [dwe-nya] ‘owner’
Esposo [es-poh-so] Esposa [es-poh-sa] ‘spouse’
Granjero [gran-heh-ro] Granjera [gran-heh-ra] ‘farmer’
Hermano [er-mah-no] Hermana [er-mah-na] ‘brother/sister’
Huesped [wes-ped] Huespeda [wes-pe-da] ‘guest’
Hijo [i-ho] Hija [i-ha] ‘son/daughter’
Ladron [lahd-ron] Ladrona [lahd-ro-na] ‘thief’
Medico [me-di-ko] Medica [me-di-ka] ‘doctor’
Nieto [nee-eh-to] Nieta [nee-eh-ta] ‘grandchild’
Perro [per-ro] Perra [per-ra] ‘dog’

Notice that most of the masculine nouns referring to persons and animals above end in -o or use the base form (without any suffix) of the word, while the feminine nouns
end in -a.

As a side note, when talking about a mixed gender group, the masculine form of the word is used, as shown in the picture. Visit Spanish Grammar to learn more about gender specificity in Spanish nouns.

More on Noun Gender in Spanish

In the last post, we were introduced to Lawrence and Dazcion - mnemonics that will help us remember the gender of various Spanish nouns. However, there are some exceptions to these rules. Many of the words that don't follow the rules are words that are 'borrowed' from other languages, like English. Observe the table below:

Masculine Nouns Not Ending in L-O-R-E-N-S
Arroz [ar-roz] ‘rice’
Bistec [bees-tek] ‘steak’
Champu [cham-poo] ‘shampoo’
Dia [di-yah] ‘day’
Esqui [es-ki] ‘ski’
Fax [faks] ‘fax’
Mapa [mah-pah] ‘map’
Menú [meh-noo] ‘menu’
Pez [pehz] ‘fish’
Programma [pro-gra-ma] ‘programme’
Reloj [re-loh] ‘watch’
Rey [reh-ee] ‘king’

Feminine Nouns Not Ending in Dazcion
Calle [ka-ye] ‘street’
Cancer [kahn-sehr] ‘cancer’
Carcel [kar-sehl] ‘prison’
Carne [kar-neh] ‘meat’
Flor [flor] ‘flower’
Ley [leh-ee] ‘law’
Lente [len-teh] ‘lens’
Mujer [mu-her] ‘wife’
Noche [noh-cheh] ‘night’
Razón [rah-zon] ‘reason’
Suerte [swer-teh] ‘luck’


You should also note that just because a word is generally associated to a certain gender (i.e., pants for men, skirts for women) doesn't meant that the gender of the word will follow. Look how ironic Spanish nouns can be:

Masculine Nouns
Camison [ka-mi-son] ‘nightdress’
Pantys [pahn-tees] ‘thights’
Salvaslips [sal-vahs-leeps] ‘panty liner’
Sujetador [su-heh-tah-dor] ‘bra’
Pendiante [pen-dyan-teh] ‘earrings’
Feminine Nouns
Corbata [kor-bah-tah] ’tie’
Gorra [gohr-rah] ‘cap’
Guardia [gwar-dya] ‘guard’

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Gender Specifics in Spanish

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Nouns in Spanish are classified according to their gender - masculine, feminine, or
neuter. Now, we have some of that in English too - for example, the word 'man' is masculine, while 'woman' is feminine. But in Spanish, all nouns have a gender, which has an affect on the article and adjectives that you use with the word. The question is, how do you know if a word is masculine or feminine? For example, the word 'camion' (truck) - what the heck is the gender of that word?

To help you solve this problem, I’d like to introduce you to Lawrence, a clever guy from California, and Dazcion, a pretty maiden from Mexico.

Lawrence can help you remember which nouns in Spanish are masculine because he is a
guy, while Dazcion can do the same for feminine nouns. How is that possible? Read on.

Spanish nouns ending in L, O, R, E, N, and S (Lorens, or 'Lawrence') are masculine. Here are some examples:

el Árbol [ar-bohl] ‘tree’
el Azucar [ah-zoo-kar] ‘sugar’
el Barrio [bar-ree-oh] ‘town’
el Cinturón [seen-tu-rohn] ‘belt’
el Garaje [ga-ra-hey] ‘garage’
el País [pah-ees] ‘country’

On the other hand, nouns ending in D, A, Z, and Cion are feminine. Some examples are shown below:

la Agua [ah-gwa] ‘water’
la Dirección [di-rek-see-on] ‘address’
la Juventud [hoo-ven-tood] ‘youth’
la Luz [looz] ‘light’

Hence, when you encounter a Spanish noun, all you have to do is look at its
ending and see if it belongs to Lawrence (L-O-R-E-N-S) or Dazcion to know its gender. I recommend that as you learn the words for nouns (people, places, things) that you always learn it together with the correct article - "la" for feminine and 'el' for masculine.

Learning the Spanish Alphabet

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Now that we've looked at a few basic greeting in Spanish, let's go over the Spanish Alphabet.

The Spanish alphabet is composed of 30 letters. The letters have different names than they do in English. The table below will tell you how to say the name of the letter and how the letter itself sounds. I have used Latin American pronunciations that will be understood anywhere - there are some regional differences.

Alphabet Pronounce It!
A [ah] /ah/ as in English "tall"
B [beh grahn-de] /b/ as in English "boy
C [seh] /k/ as in English "cup" (when followed by the vowels a, o, u)
/s/ as in English "sit" (when followed by vowels i, e)
Ch [cheh] /ch/ as in English child
D [deh] /d/ as is English doll
E [eh] /eh/ as in English let
F [eh-feh] /f/ as in English fan
G [keh] /g/ as in English gift (when followed by a, o, u)
/ch/ as in German "Bach" when followed by e, i
H [ah-cheh] the letter h is always silent in Spanish
I [ee] /ee/ as in English "sweet"
J [hoh-tah] /ch/ as in German Bach
K [kah] /k/ as in English kite
L [eh-leh] /l/ as in English light
Ll [eh-yeh] /y/ as in English yellow
M [eh-meh] /m/ as in English money
N [eh-neh] /n/ as in English net
Ñ [eh-nyeh] /ny/ as in English canyon
O [oh] /o/ as in English hotel
P [peh] /p/ as in English party
Q [ku] /k/ as in English kite
R [eh-reh] R is pronounced by trilling the tongue against the roof of the mouth, like a cat purr sound.
Rr rr [ehr-reh] Similar to R above, but the trill is more pronounced.
S s [eh-seh] /s/ as in English son
T [teh] /t/ as in English time
U [oo] /oo/ as in English toot
V [veh chica] a soft /b/ sound - pronounced by forming the letter b, but not closing the lips completely.
W w [veh dobleh] /w/ as in English water
X x [eh-kis] /ch/ as in German Bach when used in the start of a word
/ks/ as in English taxi when placed inside a word
Y y [i-gri-yeh-gah] /ee/ as in English ski
Z z [zeh-tah] /s/ as in English sit

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Learning Spanish - More Spanish Greetings

In the last post, we learned a little bit about some of the formal greetings and salutations. We'll continue today, starting with something a little less formal.

¿Qué tal?
[ke tal]
‘What’s up?’

¿Como estas?
[ko-mo es-tas]
‘How are you?’

Both expressions above are used for asking how another person is today, what he has been doing lately, how he is feeling, and the likes.

Note: When talking formally, use esta instead of estas in the latter expression.

(Muy) Bien
[(moo-ee) byen]
‘(Very) Well’

(Muy) Mal
[(moo-ee) mal]
‘(Very) Bad’


Mas o Menos
[mahs oh may-noes]
So-so

Questions on knowing ‘how you are doing’ can be answered depending on how you are actually feeling during the moment you are asked. Hence, from the options above, you can reply with a good, a very good, a bad, or a very bad, or just 'so-so'.

Por favor
[por fa-vor]
‘Please’

Por favor is the Spanish way of showing respect when asking a favor. It can be used either at the beginning of your sentence or at the end.

To Remember Easily: Don’t you usually say please when you ask por (for) a favor? 

Gracias
[grah-see-yas]
‘Thank you"

De nada
[de na-dha]
‘You’re welcome’

¡Adiós!
[a-dhyos]
‘Goodbye’

¡Adios! or ‘goodbye’ is used when you bid farewell to somebody you know – whether personally or through the telephone. It’s like wishing that God be with the other person as he continues his journey as a diós literally means ‘to God.’

Learning Basic Greetings in Spanish

The first step to learning a new language is being familiar with its greetings and
most basic phrases. In this article, you'll find some everyday expressions in Spanish words, with
pronunciation guides, to help you enunciate them properly. You'll notice that written, the Spanish language uses both the inverted question mark (¿) and inverted exclamation mark (¡) at the beginning of every interrogative and exclamatory sentence, respectively.

¡Hola!
[oh-lah]
‘Hi, Hello’

¡Hola! is the most basic Spanish expression in greeting other people. It means ‘hi’
or ‘hello’. It can be used both for people you know, and for those you don’t know to get
them to notice you.

Note: Spanish people do not pronounce the letter /h/, making it a silent letter,
except when used in the /ch/ sound. Thus, the above expression should not be read [hohlah]
but [oh-lah].

¡Buenos dias!
[bwe-nos di-yahs]
‘Good morning/day’

¡Buenas tardes!
[bwe-nas tar-des]
‘Good afternoon’

¡Buenas noches!
[bwe-nas noh-ches]
‘Good evening/night’

These are the daily or timely greetings in Spanish. Similar to English, they are
composed of two words, namely bueno which means ‘good’ and the Spanish words for
morning, afternoon, and night.

¿Cómo te llamas?
[ko-mo te ya-mas]
‘What is your name?’

¿Cómo se llama usted?
[ko-mo se ya-ma oo-sted]
"What is your name?' (Formal)

Literally, these translate to ‘How do you call yourself?" or "How are you called" and both are correct for asking someone their name. The first one would be appropriate to use with a child or among peers in an informal setting, and the 2nd should always be used in business or when dealing with people older than you.

The literal translation of “What is your name?" would be

¿Cual es tú nombre?
[qual es tu nom-bre]
‘What is your name?’

If someone asks for your name using any of the above questions, you may also
respond with various answers:

Yo soy [name].
[yo soy … ]
‘I am …’

Me llamo [name].
[me yah-mo … ]
‘I am called …’

Mi nombre es [name].
[mi nom-bre es … ]
‘My name is …’

Though there are variations when telling your name in Spanish, all are accepted and are used to introduce yourself to other people.