estudiante
es-too-dee-AHN-teh
📝 In Action
Mi hermana es una estudiante de medicina.
A1My sister is a medical student.
¿Cuántos estudiantes hay en esta clase de español?
A2How many students are there in this Spanish class?
El estudiante más dedicado siempre llega temprano.
B1The most dedicated student always arrives early.
💡 Grammar Points
One Form for Both Genders
Unlike many Spanish nouns, 'estudiante' uses the exact same spelling whether you are talking about a male or a female person. The gender is shown only by the article you use: 'el estudiante' (male) or 'la estudiante' (female).
Adjective Agreement
Even though the noun stays the same, any descriptive word (adjective) must change to match the person's actual gender: 'el estudiante alto' (the tall male student) vs. 'la estudiante alta' (the tall female student).
❌ Common Pitfalls
Trying to Change the Ending
Mistake: "Using forms like 'estudianta' or 'estudianto'."
Correction: The word is always 'estudiante', regardless of the person's gender. The only thing that changes is the article ('el' or 'la').
⭐ Usage Tips
Using the Plural
To talk about multiple students, simply add '-s': 'los estudiantes' (male students or mixed group) and 'las estudiantes' (female students only). This follows the standard noun plural rule.
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: estudiante
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence correctly describes a female student who is responsible?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Why doesn't 'estudiante' end in -a for female students?
Some Spanish nouns that end in -e, especially those referring to professions or roles, stay the same for both genders. The context or the article ('el' or 'la') tells you if the person is male or female. This is a common pattern for words like 'cantante' (singer) and 'presidente' (president, though 'presidenta' is also very common now).