masculino
/mahs-koo-LEE-noh/
masculine
Masculino relates to characteristics or individuals identified as men or boys.
masculino(adjective)
masculine
?relating to men or boys
,male
?biological or physical characteristics
manly
?describing traits typically associated with men
📝 In Action
El baño masculino está al final del pasillo.
A1The men's room is at the end of the hallway.
Tiene una voz muy masculina.
A2He has a very masculine voice.
En español, 'perro' es un nombre masculino.
A1In Spanish, 'perro' (dog) is a masculine noun.
💡 Grammar Points
The 'O' Ending
Most words describing things that are masculine end in 'o', like 'libro' or 'gato'.
Gender Matching
In Spanish, words like 'the' (el) and 'a' (un) must match the masculine word they are with.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Confusing Male and Masculine
Mistake: "Thinking only living things can be 'masculino'."
Correction: In Spanish, even objects like 'teléfono' (phone) are 'masculino' simply because of how the word is built.
⭐ Usage Tips
Identifying the Gender
If you see the word 'el' before a noun, that noun is almost always 'masculino'.
In grammar, masculine refers to the gender category assigned to specific nouns and words.
masculino(noun)
masculine gender
?the grammatical category
the male
?referring to a group of men or male animals
📝 In Action
¿Cuál es el masculino de 'actriz'?
A2What is the masculine form of 'actress'?
En este idioma, el masculino es el género por defecto.
B2In this language, the masculine is the default gender.
💡 Grammar Points
The Generic Masculine
When talking about a mixed group of men and women, Spanish usually uses the 'masculine' plural form (e.g., 'los amigos').
⭐ Usage Tips
Asking for words
Use 'el masculino de...' when you want to know the male version of a word.
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: masculino
Question 1 of 2
Which of these is the 'masculino' form of the word 'gata'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Does 'masculino' always mean a person is a man?
Not in grammar! While it describes men and boys, it is also just a category for words. For example, 'el sol' (the sun) is masculine, but that doesn't mean the sun is a person.
How do I know if an adjective should be 'masculino'?
If the noun it describes is masculine, the adjective must be too. Example: 'El carro (m) es rojo (m)'.