In Spanish, nouns (which are words for people, places, or things) and adjectives (words that describe those nouns) have a gender. This means they can be either masculine or feminine. It’s important to match the gender of nouns and adjectives so your sentences sound right. Let’s break this down.

Gender in Nouns

1. Masculine Nouns:

   • These usually end with -o.
     • For example: niño (boy) and perro (dog).
   • Some masculine nouns end in consonants.
     • For example: doctor (doctor).

2. Feminine Nouns:

   • These typically end with -a.
     • For example: niña (girl) and gata (female cat).
   • Some feminine nouns can end in consonants after slight changes.
     • For example: mujer (woman) and flor (flower).

Gender in Adjectives

Adjectives need to match the nouns they describe in both gender and number.

1. Masculine Adjective Endings:

   • These usually end with -o.
     • For example: alto (tall) and simpático (nice).

2. Feminine Adjective Endings:

   • You often change the masculine form by adding an -a.
     • For example: alta (tall) and simpática (nice).

Plural Forms

When you turn nouns and adjectives into plural, you usually add -s or -es.

1. Masculine Plural:

   • For example: niños (boys) and perros (dogs).

2. Feminine Plural:

   • For example: niñas (girls) and gatas (female cats).
   • If the adjective changes with the plural noun, use the -s or -es form.
     • For example: niños altos (tall boys) and niñas altas (tall girls).

Examples of Agreement

1. Singular:

   • El niño alto (The tall boy)
   • La niña alta (The tall girl)

2. Plural:

   • Los niños altos (The tall boys)
   • Las niñas altas (The tall girls)

Practical Application

When you make sentences, make sure your nouns and adjectives agree in gender and number. For example, if you want to say "the happy boy" in Spanish, you say el niño feliz. If you're talking about a girl, you use la niña feliz.

As you learn Spanish, using these gender agreement rules will help you write and speak better. This means clearer and correct communication. Always check the endings of both nouns and adjectives to make sure they match in your sentences!