Lección 4: Hay y los sustantivos

A noun (sustantivo) is a person, place, thing, or idea. To make a noun plural, you add an -s or -es. Note that words that end in -z change to -c when they are made plural.

Spanish nouns have gender which means that they are either masculine or feminine.

Masculine nouns

• can refer to a man, such as el profesor.
• that refer to a place or a thing often end in -o, such as el libro.

Feminine nouns

• can refer to a woman, such as la profesora.
• that refer to a place or a thing often end in -a, such as la silla.

There are some exceptions, such as el día and la moto.

The definite article the is used with a specific noun or a noun that has been mentioned before. The Spanish article indicates the gender of a noun (masculine or feminine) as well as number (singular or plural).

Example: The definite article

The indefinite article (a/an or some) is used when referring to a noun that is not specific or has not been mentioned previously. It also indicates gender and number.

Examples: The indefinite article

Hay means there is or there are. When used with a singular noun, the indefinite article (un/una) is used. However, with plural nouns and negative statements, the article is often omitted.