In Spanish, the noun pez (fish) is masculine.
Spanish nouns are inherently assigned a gender, either masculine or feminine, which impacts the articles and adjectives used with them. Understanding the gender of a noun like pez is fundamental for constructing grammatically correct sentences.
Understanding Grammatical Gender for Animals
For many animal names in Spanish, a single word form represents the species, and this word has a fixed grammatical gender. Pez falls into this category. Regardless of whether an individual fish is biologically male or female, the word pez itself is always treated as masculine in a grammatical sense.
Therefore, when referring to "the fish," you would use the masculine definite article el, resulting in el pez. Similarly, any adjectives describing pez would also take their masculine form, such as un pez grande (a big fish) or el pez colorido (the colorful fish).
Examples of Animal Noun Genders in Spanish
Here are a few examples of common animal nouns in Spanish that maintain a single form with a fixed grammatical gender:
| English | Spanish Noun | Grammatical Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Fish | pez | Masculine (m) |
| Penguin | pingüino | Masculine (m) |
| Louse | piojo | Masculine (m) |
| Moth | polilla | Feminine (f) |
Learning the gender alongside new vocabulary, for instance, as el pez or by noting pez (m), is a highly effective method for mastering Spanish noun gender. This approach helps learners naturally internalize the correct usage in various contexts.
For more information on the gender of various animals and other nouns in Spanish, exploring comprehensive grammar resources can be very beneficial.
