Noun Gender

Level 1Sounds Like rod na sʺŝestvitelnite

consonant → masculine: стол; -а/-я → feminine: маса; -о/-е → neuter: село, море.

How It Works

The three main patterns.

  • masculine, ending in a consonant: стол (chair), град (city), чай (tea) (masculine nouns)
  • feminine, ending in -а or -я: маса (table), книга (book), земя (land) (feminine nouns)
  • neuter, ending in -о or -е: село (village), море (sea), момче (boy) (neuter nouns)

What gender changes.

  • the article: столът, масата, селото (the article as an ending)
  • adjectives: нов стол, нова маса, ново село (adjective agreement)
  • the number one: един стол, една маса, едно село (един, една, едно)
  • pronouns: a table is тя, a chair is той: Къде е масата? — Тя е в кухнята. (Where is the table? — It is in the kitchen.)

Exceptions to learn.

  • feminine nouns ending in a consonant: нощ (night), радост (joy), пролет (spring), сол (salt) (feminine nouns in a consonant)
  • masculine nouns for men ending in -а, -я or -о: баща (father), съдия (judge), дядо (grandfather), чичо (uncle) (masculine nouns in -а and -о)
  • neuter words from other languages: такси (taxi), бижу (jewel), меню (menu)

A good habit. Learn each new noun with един, една or едно: една нощ, един баща, едно такси. Then the gender comes with the word.

Examples (6)

  1. Столът е нов.

    The chair is new.

    Word by Word: Chair-the is new.

    Стол ends in a consonant, so it is masculine.

  2. Масата е нова.

    The table is new.

    Word by Word: Table-the is new.

    Маса ends in -а, so it is feminine.

  3. Морето е топло.

    The sea is warm.

    Word by Word: Sea-the is warm.

    Море ends in -е, so it is neuter.

  4. Лека нощ!

    Good night!

    Word by Word: Light night!

    Нощ ends in a consonant but is feminine, so the adjective is лека.

  5. Баща ми е добър човек.

    My father is a good man.

    Word by Word: Father my is good person.

    Баща ends in -а but means father, so it is masculine.

  6. Таксито е тук.

    The taxi is here.

    Word by Word: Taxi-the is here.

    Такси is neuter, so it takes the article -то.

Common Mistakes

  • Treating a feminine noun in a consonant as masculine.

    Лек нощ!
    Лека нощ!

    Нощ is feminine, even though it ends in a consonant, so the adjective is лека.

  • Treating баща as feminine because it ends in -а.

    Баща ми е добра.
    Баща ми е добър.

    Words for men are masculine whatever their ending, so the adjective is добър.

  • Treating a borrowed noun as masculine.

    Таксият е тук.
    Таксито е тук.

    Many borrowed nouns ending in -и, -у or -ю are neuter and take -то, as такси does; the ending alone does not guarantee neuter gender (гуру is masculine).

How It Connects

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Noun GenderLevel 1

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