In English there is no distinction between masculine and feminine at all, neither in verb conjugations or in nouns. In Spanish verb conjugations are not distinguished by gender (e.g. Yo voy
I go, masculine and feminine), though nouns are distinguished by gender (see below).
Masculine and Feminine in Spanish
Nouns ending in the letter 'O' are usually masculine, while nouns ending in the letter ‘A’ are usually feminine. For example 'niño' (boy) and 'niña' (girl) are words that follow this rule. If a word ends in any other letter, there is no clear rule to aid us in differentiating the word by gender. Thus, we must rely on our experience in the language to distinguish such nouns by gender.
Note that not all words ending in o/a have both genders. For instance, the word 'cama' (bed) is feminine and has no masculine form.
Masculine and Feminine in Spanish
Gender-Specific Nouns/Adjectives
Masculino
Femenino
English
Chico
Chica
Boy / Girl
Tío
Tía
Uncle / aunt
Lindo
Linda
Beautiful
Rojo
Roja
Red
Perro
Perra
Dog
Gato
Gata
Cat
Hermano
Hermana
Brother/Sister
Amigo
Amiga
Friend
Nouns in Which the Gender is Arbitrary
Femenino
Feminine
Masculino
Masculine
Pelota
Ball
Cine
Cinema
Hoja, Página
Page
Hombre
Man
Noche
Night
Dinero
Money
Tarde
Evening
Reloj
Watch
Mochila
Backpack
Precio
Price
Cama
Bed
Libro
Book
Plaza
Square
Zapato
Shoe
Cámara
Camera
Papel
Paper
Irregulars
Nouns that End in the Letter ‘O’, but are Feminine
La mano (hand), La foto (photograph)
Nouns that End in the Letter ‘A’, but are Masculine
El día (day), El mapa (map)
Determining a Noun’s Gender
Nouns Ending in the Suffix ‘-MA’, and that originate from Latin or Greek are Usually Masculine
Problema (problem), Panorama (landscape), Programa (plan, program)
Feminine suffixes:
Nouns Ending in the Suffixes TUD, DAD, SIÓN, CIÓN, TAD, are
Always Feminine
Ciudad (city), Juventud (youth), Situación (situation), Libertad (freedom), Verdad (truth), Amistad (friendship)