Language/Portuguese/Grammar/Gender

How do we guess gender of nouns in Portuguese?

A noun is a word or a group of words which can be the subject of a verb and which corresponds semantically to an object of thought (being or class of beings, thing, property, state, feeling, process, relation, quantity... ).

Nouns that are usually masculine in Portuguese

Nouns ending in O

• o jogo = game
• o barco = boat
• o prato = plate

Here is a common exception:

• a tribo = tribe

Nouns ending in I or U

• o abacaxi = pineapple
• o caju = cashew
• o bisturi = scalpel
• o baú = trunk

Nouns ending in a consonant

• o hotel = hotel
• o papel = paper
• o cristal = crystal
• o amor = love
• o mar = sea
• o lápis = pencil
• o país = country

Exceptions

There are exceptions. Some nouns ending in “or” are feminine:

• a dor = the pain
• a cor = the color
• a flor = the flower

Nouns ending in EMA

This might be counter intuitive because of the “a” at the end:

• o problema = problem
• o cinema = cinema
• o telefonema = phone call

Nouns usually feminine in Portuguese

Nouns ending in Ã

• a maçã = apple
• a manhã = morning
• a hortelã = mint

Exceptions

There are exceptions, of course:

• o talismã = talisman
• o ímã = magnet

Nouns ending in A

• a cadeira = chair
• a cama = bed
• a mesa = table

Exceptions

A couple of very common exceptions to this rule:

• o mapa = map
• o dia = day

Nouns ending in DADE

• a cidade = city
• a universidade = university
• a tempestade = storm

Nouns ending in AÇÃO

• a nação = nation
• a ação = action
• a confirmação = confirmation

Nouns ending in AGEM

• a viagem = trip
• a garagem = garage (not parking)
• a massagem = massage

Some nouns have a single form for masculine and feminine

Nouns ending in ENTE

• o/a paciente = patient
• o/a cliente = client
• o/a parente = relative (family member)

Nouns ending in ANTE

• o/a fumante = smoker
• o/a estudante = student
• o/a ajudante = helper

Nouns ending in ISTA

• o/a dentista = dentist
• o/a massagista = masseur
• o/a turista = tourist