Gender and Number of Nouns in Catalan

Overview

Every noun in Catalan has a grammatical gender — either masculine or feminine — and a number — either singular or plural. Understanding gender and number is fundamental at the A1 level because articles, adjectives, and pronouns all must agree with the noun they modify.

Unlike English, where gender is mostly natural (linked to biological sex), Catalan assigns grammatical gender to all nouns, including objects and abstract concepts. A table (la taula) is feminine, while a book (el llibre) is masculine. While there are helpful patterns, some gender assignments must simply be memorized.

Forming plurals in Catalan follows fairly regular rules, though you will encounter some exceptions. The core principle is straightforward: add -s after a vowel, and -os or -es after a consonant, depending on gender. Once you master these patterns, you will find that most new vocabulary fits neatly into the system.

How It Works

Gender Patterns

Pattern	Gender	Examples
Ends in consonant or -e	Usually masculine	el gat (cat), el carrer (street), el cotxe (car)
Ends in -a	Usually feminine	la casa (house), la taula (table), la porta (door)
Ends in -ió, -tat, -tut	Feminine	la nació (nation), la ciutat (city), la virtut (virtue)
Ends in -ma (Greek origin)	Masculine	el problema (problem), el tema (topic), el sistema (system)

Plural Formation

Singular ending	Plural rule	Example
Vowel	Add -s	gat → gats, casa → cases
Stressed vowel	Add -ns	germà → germans, ple → plens
-s, -x, -ix	Add -os (m) / -es (f)	gos → gossos, peix → peixos
-sc, -st, -xt	Add -s or -os	bosc → boscos, text → textos
-ig	Change to -tjos / -tges	mig → mitjos, roig → roges

Examples in Context

Catalan	English	Note
el gat → els gats	the cat → the cats	Masculine, regular plural
la casa → les cases	the house → the houses	Feminine, regular plural
l'home → els homes	the man → the men	Masculine, elision before vowel
la dona → les dones	the woman → the women	Feminine, regular plural
el problema → els problemes	the problem → the problems	Masculine despite -a ending
la nació → les nacions	the nation → the nations	Feminine -ió suffix
el germà → els germans	the brother → the brothers	Stressed vowel adds -ns
la ciutat → les ciutats	the city → the cities	Feminine -tat suffix
l'arbre → els arbres	the tree → the trees	Masculine, elision
la mà → les mans	the hand → the hands	Irregular: feminine despite not ending in -a

Common Mistakes

Assuming -a always means feminine

• Wrong: la problema
• Right: el problema
• Why: Words of Greek origin ending in -ma are masculine: el tema, el sistema, el programa.

Forgetting -ns plurals for stressed vowels

• Wrong: els germàs
• Right: els germans
• Why: Nouns ending in a stressed vowel typically add -ns in the plural.

Mixing up plural endings after consonants

• Wrong: els gossos → actually correct! But: els peixs
• Right: els peixos
• Why: After -x, -s, -ix, you need -os (masculine) or -es (feminine), not just -s.

Treating "mà" as masculine

• Wrong: el mà
• Right: la mà
• Why: "Mà" (hand) is one of the few feminine nouns not ending in -a. It is an exception to memorize.

Practice Tips

1. When you learn a new noun, always learn it with its article (el/la). This habit naturally reinforces gender. Say "la taula" rather than just "taula."
2. Group nouns by their ending patterns. Make lists of -ió words, -tat words, and -ma words to help solidify the gender rules in your memory.
3. Practice plural formation by taking a list of ten singular nouns and writing their plurals, checking the ending rules each time.

Related Concepts

• Definite Articles — articles that must agree in gender and number
• Indefinite Articles — un, una, uns, unes
• Basic Adjectives — adjectives that agree with noun gender and number
• Demonstratives — demonstrative words that also agree with nouns