One word, two genders, two meanings
A few nouns exist in both genders with different meanings, so the article, and any adjective, tells you which one is meant.
| masculine | feminine |
|---|---|
| el capital (money to invest) | la capital (capital city) |
| el orden (tidiness, sequence) | la orden (command) |
| el cometa (comet) | la cometa (kite) |
| el parte (official report) | la parte (part) |
| el cura (priest) | la cura (cure) |
Both meanings of capital in one sentence:
| The bank has invested a lot of capital in the capital. | El banco ha invertido mucho capital en la capital. |
Tidiness, not a command:
| I like order: everything in its place. | Me gusta el orden: cada cosa en su sitio. |
El parte is an official report: the weather report, a doctor's report, an accident report.
| According to the weather report, it is going to snow tomorrow. | Según el parte meteorológico, mañana va a nevar. |
Jobs: the article shows the person
With people, the two genders don't change the meaning; they show whether it is a man or a woman. For a woman judge you will hear both la jueza and la juez.
Two feminine nouns, two different things:
| The judge gave the order to close the bar. | La jueza dio la orden de cerrar el bar. |
La jueza is simply a judge who is a woman:
| The judge listened to the accused carefully. | La jueza escuchó al acusado con atención. |
Adjectives in -a and -ista
Adjectives whose basic form ends in -a, like hipócrita and cosmopolita, or in -ista, like optimista, pesimista and egoísta, have one form for both genders. Only the plural changes: cosmopolitas, egoístas.
| masculine | feminine |
|---|---|
| un hombre optimista | una mujer optimista |
| un jefe hipócrita | una jefa hipócrita |
Same ending for her and for him:
| My mother is optimistic, but my father is pessimistic. | Mi madre es optimista, pero mi padre es pesimista. |
Plural with -s:
| My grandparents are very cosmopolitan: they have lived in six countries. | Mis abuelos son muy cosmopolitas: han vivido en seis países. |
Common mistake
- un hombre optimisto → un hombre optimista: there is no -o form.
