actor / actriz; rei / raíña
Irregular Feminine Forms
Most nouns form the feminine with -a, but some are irregular: actor, actriz; rei, raíña; cabalo, egua.
How It Works
A different ending
- -triz: actor, actriz; emperador, emperatriz
- -esa: príncipe, princesa; duque, duquesa; alcalde, alcaldesa; abade, abadesa
- -isa: sacerdote, sacerdotisa
- -ína: heroe, heroína
- -iña: galo, galiña
- rei, raíña: note the Galician form raíña, not the Spanish-style reina.
A different word
- People: home, muller; pai, nai; xenro, nora
- Animals: cabalo, egua; boi, vaca; carneiro, ovella
Compare the regular patterns in feminine with -a and feminines of -án and -ón. Forms like actora or reina come from applying the regular rule or from Spanish, so avoid them.
Examples (6)
- O actor e a actriz saíron xuntos ao escenario.
The actor and the actress came out on stage together.
- O rei e a raíña visitaron Santiago.
The king and queen visited Santiago.
- A princesa falou co príncipe.
The princess spoke with the prince.
- O cabalo e a egua pacen no prado.
The horse and the mare are grazing in the meadow.
Egua is a completely different word from cabalo.
- A alcaldesa inaugurou a biblioteca.
The mayor inaugurated the library.
Alcalde takes -esa in the feminine.
- No curral hai un galo e moitas galiñas.
In the yard there is a rooster and lots of hens.
Galo has the special feminine galiña.
Common Mistakes
Using the Spanish form for queen.
A reina saudou a xente.A raíña saudou a xente.The Galician feminine of rei is raíña.
Adding -a to actor.
Ela é unha actora moi coñecida.Ela é unha actriz moi coñecida.Actor has the irregular feminine actriz.
Making a feminine of cabalo with -a.
Temos unha cabala branca.Temos unha egua branca.The female horse has its own word: egua.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Some feminine person and animal nouns use special endings or a different word.
Related Patterns
- Feminine of -án and -ónFeminine of Words in -án and -ón
Another group of feminines with special endings, such as irmá and leoa.
Level 2 - Noun Gender
Explains grammatical gender in general.
Level 1 - Nouns That Change Meaning With Gender
Nouns whose meaning changes with gender.
Level 5 - Avoiding Spanish Interference
Explains why Spanish-style forms like reina are avoided.
Level 4
Words in This Pattern
Practice actor / actriz; rei / raíña in Bubblegum
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