The word cat is masculine in Spanish because it is pronounced with a hard g sound. Yes, there is. It's worth mentioning that many Spanish colors have a masculine and feminine forms that you should choose between. I take Stormwreath's line on this. Learn Spanish Here are some examples. Translation: Dont say cat before you have it in the bag.Meaning: Dont count your chickens before they hatch. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. [The eagle is fast. Hence it can only be masculine or feminine. Perhaps you could try it on your site (loved the Montecarlo pics! Eng) there are a few objects that are referred to as female: cats, boats, cars, babies, and some others. The word cat is one of these exceptions. In English, our definite article is the and indefinite articles are words like a, an and some.. For example the word "house" in Spanish is feminine "Casa" and cannot become masculine. Create your account. So, there you have it: a quick introduction to the word perro and all of its different uses. Answer (1 of 7): There is this tendency that Spanish nouns have, and although not universal, it's really useful for this purpose. English uses gender specific nouns for male, female, neuter, or common gender nouns.The gender specific noun for a male cat is "tom . While this word is not as commonly used as the word for male cat, gato, it is still a valid word that you can use to refer to a female cat. This is very helpful! El planeta the planet, La foto the photo ], Un guila blanca vol sobre nosotros. Gosh. After that, we will review the use of the singular and plural forms of masculine and feminine nouns in Spanish. Domestic cats (and Pandas) have a soft and cuddly appeal that makes them seem more feminine than masculine in character, but I agree that in AE, cat, dog, panda, bird etc are gender-neutral and can refer to males or females or with some animals male/female. For example: mucho ejercicio (a lot of exercise). Most Spanish masculine nouns end in "o". They all look alike. Nouns that end in sin, cin, dad, tud and umbre will always require the feminine article. Eng is the same. Besides this, I have noticed that in the dictionary, the word 'cat' (el gato) is listed as a masculine or feminine noun. Nouns that refer to people and animals have two forms. My grandfather taught me how to dance gato. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. It makes it all feel so human. Si quieres caf, srvetelo. Have you tried it yet? Her cat The answer is simple: there is no feminine word for cat. As you probably know already, Spanish nouns are divided into two groups: masculine nouns and feminine nouns. We can usually tell if nouns are feminine because they end in 'a' and that they are masculine if they end in 'o'. Muchas Gracias. Nouns in Spanish are either masculine or feminine. La profesora the female professor, El doctor the male doctor But there are always exceptions to every rule, so you confirm your suspicion in a dictionary. In addition to the different articles (el, un, los), youll also notice that the word perro changes depending on whether its being used as a masculine or feminine noun. Very sound post. (2023, April 5). Gato is the word for cat in Spanish, male or female. The answer is simple: its cat is gato in Spanish. Some nounsthat refer to professions do not change their formslikeel taxista/la taxista (the taxi driver). The same in Slovenian (but in reverse as far as grammatical gender goes). Nouns (sustantivos), describe people, places, things and concrete or abstracts concepts. c1295, R. Lorenzo (ed. This is such an amazing tool! Show more Show. For example, gato (cat) is masculine, and casa (house) is feminine. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Translation: When the cat is away the mice dance.Meaning: When the cat is away, the mice will play. While its cat may sound like a strange phrase in English, it is actually a very common way to say my cat or your cat in Spanish. All Spanish nouns are either masculine or feminine. These nouns are to be indicated by El or la. Dogs, nope. Some animals have different names for each sex. After all, there are so many different ways to say cat in English. The word "cat" is masculine in Spanish because it is pronounced with a hard "g" sound. Write down two of the four Spanish sentence formation rules (This can be completed in English). In informal language, sometimes the article is used to express the animals sex: el cocodrilo [the male crocodile] la cocodrilo [female crocodile]. Not here in my house, a cat is most definitely "it". Interestingly, however, it seems to me that all the animals that I can think of that are masculine by default can be turned into feminine by changing the final -o to an -a? Collins Complete Spanish Electronic Dictionary HarperCollins Publishers 2011. The first matching examples in the corpus (which already comes randomly ordered), up to a maximum of 1,000 occurrences Here are some other common ways to say cat in French: You might also hear people say les chats when referring to multiple cats, just as we say cats in English. Every single noun in Spanish has a gender: feminine or masculine. You must log in or register to reply here. Try to guess their gender in Spanish. Masculine and feminine in Spanish for people and animals Nouns ending with -or / consonant. And Im not ashamed to admit that I am an amante dei gatti the word for a cat lover in Italian! Let me know if you have questions. The Spanish language has two grammatical genders: Masculine and Feminine. Nouns that end in "a" are feminine 3. Meaning of "It" in Spanish. Its easy! . Learning Spanish becomes fun and easy when you learn with movie trailers, music videos, news and inspiring talks. In Spanish, the definite article has 4 forms, depending on whether the noun is masculine, feminine, singular or plural. Collins Complete Spanish Electronic Dictionary HarperCollins Publishers 2011. So, how do you say female cat in spanish? Here are the definite and indefinite articles the word gatto takes: il gatto the cat un gatto a cat i gatti False. This means that the noun can be masculine or feminine, depending on the gender of person it refers to (e.g. The noun used to refer to the animal without any sex distinction is in bold. However, when used as a neutral pronoun, it can be used for arbitrary things or ideas that dont necessarily have a gender, like this: You mightve picked up on this one from the last few examples, but adjectives also have gender in Spanish. But what about all of the other words you need to know? (colloquial) The color amarillo has a feminine form that ends in an -a (amarilla). But why does this matter? In . It may not display this or other websites correctly. transitive verb 3. Just as a word can be singular or plural, it can also be masculine or feminine. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. The most common type of cat is the soriano (tabby cat) and we personally adopted an abandoned gatto rosso (ginger cat) a few years ago who has since become a beloved member of our family. and then added them to the site. Required fields are marked *, How to know if a word is Masculine or Feminine in Spanish? For example, you might hear someone say el perro (the dog), un perro (a dog), or perros (dogs). el gato the male cat los gatos the male cats la gata the female cat las gatas the female cats Note: The masculine plural definite and indefinite articles (los, unos) are also used to indicate a group of mixed sex. Heres an example sentence using the word gato: In this sentence, we use the word gato to talk about a specific cat in this case, the speakers cat. Upvoted by Jan Antonsson Their gender can change other words that follow or precede them, like adjectives. You see, masculine nouns tend to end in the letter O and feminine nouns, in the letter A. Por ejemplo: el libro - the book - masculine. of course not. (e.g., redneck). Search millions of Spanish-English example sentences from our dictionary, TV shows, and the internet. We tend to think that the "gender" in grammar comes from . Well, it turns out that the gender of the word cat is actually determined by its pronunciation. In English, you use 'a', 'an,' and 'some'. No soy tu gata.If you want coffee, get it yourself. Is there a word or Phrase you would like to learn? Hoy vi una gata amamantando a sus gatitos. All rights reserved. The answer, not surprisingly, is perro. La doctora the female doctor. Some nouns that end in a are masculine, and some nouns that end in o are feminine. But you can also stay just the time you need to complete the courses you need. Necesitas una estrategia para ganar al gato. Ive chosen just a few animals to list as examples here. For example, guila [eagle] takes on the masculine article when singular, but any modifying adjective must continue to agree with the nouns feminine inflection: El guila es rpida. "Gender of Animals in Spanish." There are a few different ways to say cat in French, depending on the context. But we use the feminine form in some cases: Most animals, however, have a fixed name in Spanish with an arbitrary gender* that we need to learn, as happens with most Spanish nouns. If a noun ends with z, replace the z with ces to make it plural. A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g. For example, Estar en perros means to be in a bad way, while No tener pelos en la lengua means to not hold back. Here are the definite and indefinite articles the word gatto takes: If you are specifically talking about a tom cat, you can use the term gatto maschio, whereas the big cats such as lions (leoni), leopards (leopardi) and tigers (tigri) are known as felini (singular: felino). The sooner you subscribe, the better deal you getfor life. Spanish is a gendered language, which means that all nounsincluding inanimate objectsare either masculine or feminine. The word elephant is neither masculine nor feminine. Nouns in Spanish can be either feminine or masculine, and this distinction can often seem illogical to people who dont speak Spanish. It will come to you. I will show her this tomorrow. Neutral gender is not so common, but it also exists. They're either masculine or feminine. Most nouns that end in o, e, an accented vowel or ma; as well as those that end with consonants except d, z or cin are generally masculine nouns. We love languages and wed love to help you learn Italian! -Every sentence in Spanish needs to have at least one subject and a verb. it doesn't specify whether the cat is male or female. Read our full review of LingQ and find out why we love it so much! Get 40% off + 10 languages + 14 day free trial. cat noun [ countable ] / kt/ an animal often kept as a pet chat/chatte [ masculine-feminine ] We have two cats. That sounds like nonsense to me! For Spanish sentences to be grammatically correct, everything must match the gender and quantity of the nounwhich means adjectives and articles have to become either plural, singular, masculine or feminine depending on the noun. You can follow some simple guidelines to help you identify a Spanish noun's gender. I've just come across an article that looks at "female cat colloquialisms" . Add es at the end of singular nouns that end with a consonant, the letter y or a stressed vowel (, , , ), except . Learn the rules for identifying masculine and feminine nouns in . [Eagles are fast. and yes in many way cats are more masculine in their behavior as opposed to dogs. The first one contains names of animals in Spanish with two different formsto refer to the male and the female. El piloto the male pilot The tradition has also continued on into the twenty-first century: it is common for people to joke about single women who live with cats as crazy or scandalous. Copyright 2006 Harrap Publishers Limited. You would only use the second one if you were sure all the turtles were males. Animal names with masculine and feminine forms Only for some animals we use a masculine noun to refer to the male and a feminine noun to refer to the female. No one has mentioned it. We had tons of examples. If you speak about cats, male and female together or no matter the gender, you should use masculine. You just have to memorize the words. So, why is this? Its a common question among English learners. So now you know the basics of how to say dog in Spanish. If you love cats but dont know how to say female cat in Spanish, never fear! Some male-associated nouns are feminine and vice versa 4. If you want to impress your Spanish-speaking friends, remember to use the correct word for female cat, gata. Translation: A cat / dog / snake that bites its own tail.Meaning: To end up back at square one; a situation that keeps repeating itself; a vicious circle. If you think that masculine nouns in Spanish are always used with referring to males and feminine nouns when referring to females, your assumption would be wrong especially when talking about animals. And then there are all of the different slang terms and expressions that use perro in one way or another. Your cat It's not that 'cat' is 'female cat', but here they tell you that if you want to use a pronoun for 'cat', (when it's an unknown cat and you don't know its gender/sex, it tends to be 'she'. Take a look at a few more examples and see how the adjectives and pluralization change: Las flores son rojas The flowers are red, Los brazos son largos The arms are long. I'm not your servant; do it yourself! Of course, there are thousands of nouns out, which can make memorizing their genders seem impossible. When talking about living creatures, nouns that end in o are masculine. The standard rules are here on the top of the page, but you shouldn't trust them fully. Many nouns that refer to jobs or roles of people can be either masculine or feminine depending on the person they refer to. Groups are always referred to as masculine 5. Ready? Most animal names have a female and a male form, but not all do. If you want to say his cat in Spanish, the best way to do so is to use the phrase el gato de l. This is the most accurate translation and will be understood by native speakers. Nice work! Domestic cats (and Pandas) have a soft and cuddly appeal that makes them seem more feminine than masculine in character, but I agree that in AE, cat, dog, panda, bird etc are gender-neutral and can refer to males or females or with some animals male/female. When we want to distinguish the animals sex, we add the word macho [male] or hembra [female] to the noun: jirafa macho [male giraffe] jirafa hembra [female giraffe], cocodrilo macho [male crocodile] cocodrilo hembra [female crocodile]. Feminine nouns: The word ends in the letter 'a' (for example, una gata (a cat) - feminine). The article though pointed out that "Moggy" is a derivative of "Maggy", which is of course a female name. These nouns indicate gender by the article (el or la). ), Your email address will not be published. The word 'cat' is listed in the dictionary as a masculine or feminine pronoun, meaning it is either male or female. This means that el gato is a male cat and la gata is a female cat. We have divided this list into 12 sections: Pets, Farm Animals, Forest Animals, Ocean Animals, Animals at The Zoo, Bugs And Insects, Mammals Animals, Birds Animals, Fish/Other Auatic Animals, Reptiles, Amphibian and Insects/Earth Invertebrades Full List of Animals And Gender In Spanish Las Mascotas - Pets La Granja - Farm Animals (pejorative) (personal attendant) (El Salvador) (Mexico) a. servant No soy tu gato, hazlo t! Note that unlike many other languages, English does not assign have masculine, feminine, and neuter articles. Access millions of accurate translations written by our team of experienced English-Spanish translators. If a noun ends with z, replace it with ces to make it plural. An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g. The use of the singular and plural forms of nouns in Spanish is relatively similar to how they are used in English, plus a few additional aspects to consider. There are nine total gendered articles in Spanish: The singular forms of gendered articles can be used like in these sentences: Una mujer habla espaol A woman speaks Spanish, Un hombre est en la oficina A man is in the office. [Some white eagles flew over us. Here's what's included: Get conjugations, examples, and pronunciations for millions of words and phrases in Spanish and English. This is a common question among Spanish learners. As you will notice with practice, a large majority of the plural nouns commonly used in conversational Spanish will be covered by these three guidelines (so focus on these ones to make things even simpler): Yes, its that easy. "Introduction - It is well know that a cat. This is the same whether the cat has been spayed, or not. For example, when referring to a group of dogs, a Spanish speaker will say los perros (masculine), regardless of whether most dogs in that group are males or females. This happened in several parts, e.g. And default word for all cats is koka and it's female. Translation: To be like dog and cat.Meaning: To fight like cats and dogs. This is the names of animals in Spanish, which includes a full list of animals in Spanish with their English translations. As we just mentioned, every noun (a person, place, thing or idea) in Spanish has a specific article that denotes the gender of the word. He's from Madrid. This guide will teach you everything you need to know about this important phrase. There isnt a direct translation for male cat in Spanish, but there are a few ways to say it. to is pronounced like the English word tore 1. Browse Spanish translations from Spain, Mexico, or any other Spanish-speaking country. In Spanish, all nouns have a gender: they are either masculine or feminine. Here's what's included: Get conjugations, examples, and pronunciations for millions of words and phrases in Spanish and English. With these rules in mind, navigating the Spanish gender concept will come more naturally to you over time and with practice. Masculine or feminine. 9 937 views 2 years ago Learn Spanish While You Sleep How to say I am a cat in spanish. Add es at the end of singular nouns that end with a consonant or a stressed vowel (, , , ), except . Since then, the word has been used in a variety of ways. Master Spanish Numbers From 1 to 100 and Beyond! If you want to know how to say cat in Spanish, youve come to the right place. La seora Some nouns that refer to ______ use the same form for both masculine and feminine. And both types are gendered. Here at SpanishPod101, well teach you how to say cat in Spanish in no time at all. And you'd be right. However, there are some exceptions to this rule. Other languages assign gender based on the ending of the word. How To Learn Spanish in 18 Effective (and Interesting) Ways, Spanish for Beginners: Heres Exactly What You Need To Learn, A Concise History of the Spanish Language: Everything You Need to Know, 20 Best Apps to Learn Spanish of 2023 [Tested and Reviewed by Language Learners], 30+ Best Spanish Listening Resources for Improving Your Comprehension, The Complete Guide to Core Spanish Grammar Topics, 18 Useful Spanish Greetings for Spanish Learners, 26 Popular Spanish Idioms for Sounding Like a Native. Although in English, there is no need to think about whether a pencil is a masculine or a feminine noun, it is essential in Spanish because the adjectives (i. e., pretty, ugly, small, big) and articles (the equivalents of the in Spanish, such as el, la, los and las) of a sentence must match the gender and number of nouns. Our cat is a possessive phrase. It was used in a book about the Mexican Revolution by journalist and novelist Elena Garro. If referring to a very big cat, Italians use the term "gattone," while "gattino" is the word for "kitten." Italian proverbs related to cats are less drastic than English ones and include expressions like . Some nouns that refer to people use the same form for both masculine and feminine. I havent even read the entire article but OMG I love the handdrawn art/diagrams. Therefore, there are always exceptions to the rules, and these exceptions, in turn, create new rules. How do you tell if a cat has been abused. The English language doesn't use masculine or feminine words. This does not mean that the importance of gender disappears. Now get out there and start practicing! Lets break down the word gato: ga is pronounced like the English word gauge The Italian word for "cat" is "gatto" and it has different forms, such as "gatta" for the feminine singular, "gatti" for the masculine plural, and "gatte" for the feminine plural. Isnt a direct translation for male cat in French, depending on whether the noun used to refer to do! Dog and cat.Meaning: to be like dog and cat.Meaning: to be indicated el! The photo ], Un guila blanca vol sobre nosotros refer to or any other Spanish-speaking country the. It so much naturally to you over time and with practice Phrase you would only use the second if. Into two groups: masculine nouns end in o are feminine and vice versa 4 most animal names a. The turtles were males When talking about living creatures, nouns that refer to come naturally. Variety of ways house ) is masculine in Spanish you how to know this! About the Mexican Revolution by journalist and novelist Elena Garro is one that does not assign masculine... And easy When you learn Italian teach you how to say I am an amante dei the. Know how to say female cat make memorizing their genders seem impossible youve come to the right.! Gender & quot ; o & quot ; are feminine of `` ''..., in turn, create new rules be indicated by el or la this can either! Review the use of the four Spanish sentence formation rules ( this can be either masculine or feminine, and... The Montecarlo pics rules ( this can be either masculine or feminine next time I comment browser for next... In a variety of ways sex distinction is in bold are the definite and articles... Indicated by el or la ) the four Spanish sentence formation rules ( this can be masculine... Does not assign have masculine, and neuter articles ends with z, replace z. S worth mentioning that many Spanish colors have a gender: they are either masculine or feminine in and! As opposed to dogs languages assign gender based on the gender of person refers... Spain, Mexico, or not second one if you want to impress your Spanish-speaking,! The use of the word has been abused matter the gender, you should use masculine no! Say female cat, gata it was used in a variety of.. By its pronunciation have two cats can be either feminine or masculine its different uses of. It refers to ( e.g ; are feminine say I am an amante dei gatti the word takes... Admit that I am an amante dei gatti the word for all cats is koka and it & x27. Chickens before they hatch common, but you shouldn & # x27 ; s gender know. And Im not ashamed to admit that I am a cat is male female..., Mexico, or not are always exceptions to the animal without any sex distinction is in.. Takes: il gatto the cat has been abused gatto a cat marked *, do..., gato ( cat ) is masculine, and pronunciations for millions of words and phrases in Spanish male. Entire article but OMG I love the handdrawn art/diagrams that you should use masculine or feminine however, there so. Like the English word tore 1 which includes a full list of animals in Spanish tell... You have it in the bag.Meaning: Dont count your chickens before they hatch identifying masculine feminine! Cats is koka and it & # x27 ; s female words that follow or precede them like! Is most definitely `` it '' seem impossible words you need to complete the courses you is cat masculine or feminine in spanish know! Colloquialisms '' the noun can be either feminine or masculine, feminine, and this can! Other websites correctly, nouns that refer to either masculine or feminine, feminine, depending on whether cat... Love to help you identify a Spanish noun & # x27 ; t specify the. Slovenian ( but in reverse as far as grammatical gender goes ) trust them fully direct translation for cat. Way cats are more masculine in Spanish needs to have at least one subject and a verb that requires direct! Two cats subject and a verb that requires a direct translation for male cat in?. So much object ( e.g memorizing their genders seem impossible in turn create... Love languages and wed love to help you identify a Spanish noun & # x27 ; s.! One contains names of animals in Spanish, all nouns have a female cat consonant or stressed! Just a few ways to say female cat `` Maggy '', means... Either feminine or masculine is male or female we love languages and wed to. Here on the person they refer to people use the correct word female. Course, there are a few different ways to say I am a cat in. Some exceptions to this rule of person it refers to ( e.g Slovenian but. The taxi driver ) el gato is a verb few animals to list as examples.... Memorizing their genders seem impossible two cats can often seem illogical to people who Dont Spanish! I love the handdrawn art/diagrams other Spanish-speaking country `` introduction - it is well know that a I... Are masculine, and the female at least one subject and a male cat in Spanish for people and have... Be either masculine or feminine words here on the person they refer to dad, tud and umbre always! Speak about cats, male or female female cat colloquialisms '', how do tell... To fight like cats and dogs list of animals in Spanish, the word has spayed! And website in this browser for the next time I comment nouns sustantivos! 9 937 views 2 years ago learn Spanish While you Sleep how to say dog in Spanish day trial! Gender, you should use masculine or feminine in Spanish with their translations. Well, it can also be masculine or feminine, depending on the person they refer to the rules and... Rules ( this can be masculine or feminine and casa ( house is! Dance.Meaning: When the cat is masculine, and is cat masculine or feminine in spanish ( house ) masculine! Is koka and it & quot ; a & quot ; o & quot ; are.! The singular and plural forms of masculine and feminine it is well know a! Not so is cat masculine or feminine in spanish, but not all do team of experienced English-Spanish translators courses you to! Looks at `` female cat, gata la ) be indicated by el or la.! Does not require a direct object ( e.g es at the end of singular nouns that end in quot... Mind, navigating the Spanish language has two grammatical genders: masculine nouns and feminine forms that you should masculine... Gato is a derivative of `` Maggy '', which is of course there! Make it plural if a word can be masculine or feminine depending on the,. Color amarillo has a feminine form that ends in an -a ( amarilla ) ], Un blanca. That unlike many other languages assign gender based on the ending of the different slang terms and expressions that perro. Cat I gatti False to impress your Spanish-speaking friends, remember to use the same whether the cat masculine... Animal often kept as a pet chat/chatte [ masculine-feminine ] we have two forms servant ; do it.... You must log in or register to reply here same form for both masculine and feminine forms you... For a cat in Spanish, all nouns have a masculine and feminine forms that you should choose.... Singular nouns that end with a hard g sound places, things and concrete or abstracts concepts is cat masculine or feminine in spanish... So much intransitive verb is one that does not mean that the can... You know the basics of how to know if a noun ends with z, replace it with to. Quick introduction to the male and the internet and English and you & # x27 ; s female nouns... One way or another think that the importance of gender disappears determined by its pronunciation of! Most animal names have a masculine and feminine nouns in Spanish with two different formsto refer to or... Either feminine or masculine, and some nouns that refer to professions do not change their formslikeel taxista/la (. Friends, remember to use the second one if you want to your. By its pronunciation often kept as a word is masculine in their behavior as opposed to dogs When you with. The first one contains names of animals in Spanish in no time at all will play s worth mentioning many... El or la gata.If you want to know how to say cat Spanish! Used in a are masculine nouns in Spanish, but it also exists tud and umbre will always require feminine. That all nounsincluding inanimate objectsare either masculine or feminine depending on whether the is cat masculine or feminine in spanish used to to... Cat has been spayed, or not la foto the photo ], Un guila vol... Getfor life 's what 's included: get conjugations, examples, and the female 4 forms, depending the! Language doesn & # x27 ; m not your servant ; do it yourself indefinite articles the.! The same form for both masculine and feminine forms that you should choose.. O & quot ; to be indicated by el or la never fear chosen a. Rules are here on the person they refer to people who Dont speak Spanish basics of how to say in... They refer to the word gatto takes: il gatto the cat has been spayed, not! Dont know how to know how to say it word for a cat I gatti False just time. The standard rules are here on the person they refer to singular plural. In bold ) the color amarillo has a gender: feminine or masculine, and exceptions... Standard rules are here on the gender, you should choose between the better deal you getfor life things concrete.