In both English and Spanish, a noun can be classified as to number: either singular or plural. In Spanish, nouns also can be classified according to gender: masculine, feminine or (infrequently) neuter.
Term in Spanish:
sustantivo, nombre
Examples in Spanish:
computadora, Ricardo, Nueva York, felicidad, condado, fumar (can also function as a verb)
Corresponding examples in English:
computer, Richard, New York, happiness, county, smoking (can also function as a verb)
Related Resources:
Making Nouns Plural
Adjectives: Agreement with Nouns Plenitude of Plurals Gender: An Inherent Characteristic of Spanish Nouns
Definition:
In both English and Spanish, a noun is a word that refers to and names a person, place, thing, concept, entity or action. Grammatically, a noun can serve as the subject of a sentence or the object of a verb or preposition. A noun can also be described by adjectives or replaced by pronouns.
Related Terms
• Adjective
• Gender
• Noun phrase
• Number
• Object
• Part of speech
• Plural
• Preposition
• Pronoun
• Sentence
• Singular
• Subject
When it comes to making singular nouns plural, Spanish has few exceptions to the rules.
Adjectives must match the nouns they refer to in both number and gender.
If you know how to make nouns plural in English, you know how to much of the time in Spanish.
Just as maleness or femaleness is an inherent characteristic of human beings and most animals, so is gender an inherent characteristic of nouns in Spanish.
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Noun
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