24 Mamá brava: family members and people

Words in Spanish are classified as feminine or masculine either if they refer to people or things.

Feminine or masculine?

• Words ending in A are usually feminine, and words ending in O or OR are usually masculine: amigo (male friend) OR amiga (female friend), profesor (male teacher) OR profesora (female teacher). Remember, this does not apply to verbs. Verbs ending in O mean YO=me regardless of gender. Verbs ending in A just mean they come from the AR conjugation, and they are in the present indicative for the third person (he/she).
• Non-binary people usually request one gender they pick. Making it neutral with X and E may be heard in some specific groups or media. Verbs are neutral in terms of gender.
• Adjectives ending in E may be used for both man or woman, that’s why you can say ESTUDIANTE=student for either woman or man, or CANTANTE=singer for either woman or man.
• Words ending in ISTA refer to both woman or man: naricisista, optimista, pesimista, progresista, feminista, racista, nepotista. Words ending in ISTA may refer to occupations: ciclista (bike rider), motorista (driver), estilista (stylist), deportista (athlete), artista (artist), periodista (journalist)
• Adjectives in Spanish MOST OFTEN go AFTER THE thing or person being referred to: Yo tengo mi rancho grande (=I have my ranch big), piel menuda (=skin tiny), belleza muda (=beauty mute), jardín floral (=garden floral), alma pura (=soul pure). There are a few cases where it may go before: rojita fruta madura (=red fruit mature), where rojita is an adjective placed before fruit.

Plural or singular?

The adjectives in Spanish need to be added an S if the thing is plural. That means, if you are using an adjective to describe one more thing in one word, you must add an S at the end. SOMOS (=We are) CARIÑOSAS= affectionate A=female, S=several. In English you just say We are affectionate, but in Spanish should word may be turned into cariñosos if you are referring to a group of several men, and cariñosas if you are referring to a group of several women.

Adjectives refer to the identity of the person, so you should use verbo SER:

• Yo soy + adjective in the gender of the person saying YO
• Tú eres + adjective in the gender of the person referring to as you
• Él es + masculine adjective, ella es + feminine adjective, es + adjective of the word being described
• Nosotros somos + masculine plural adjective, nosotras somos + feminine plural adjective
• Ellos son + masculine plural adjective, ellas son + feminine + plural adjective, ustedes son + adjective referred to the gender of USTEDES

Adjectives for physical description

Moreno (male) /morena (female) = darker skin (Pick one)
Blanco (male) / blanca (female) = light skin

Alto (male) / alta (female) = tall (Pick one)
Bajo (male) / baja (female) = short
Mediano (male) / mediana (female) = medium
Atlético (male) / atlética (female)

Rubio (male) / rubia (female) = blonde (Pick one)
Pelinegro (male) / pelinegra (female) = black haired
Pelirojo (male) / peliroja (female) = red haired
Castaño (male) / castaña (female) = brownish haired (only referred to hair)

Adjectives for personalidad:

Malgeniado or malgeniada (=bad mood), brava or bravo (=strong willed), tímido or tímida, extrovertido or extrovertida, perezoso or perezosa (=lazy), trabajador or trabajadora (=hard worker), fiestero or fiestera (=party goer), comelón or comelona (=eater), chistoso or chistosa (=fun, silly), tranquilo or tranquila, nervioso or nerviosa, cansón (=annoying) or cansona, rezandero or rezandera (=prayerhead), morrongo or morronga (=hypocrit), intransigente (=equal for man or woman). Remember the naricisista, optimista, pesimista, progresista, feminista, racista, nepotista list.

Family members

• Mamá (=mom)
• Papá (=dad)
• Hijo (=son)
• Hija (=daughter)
• Hermano (=brother)
• Hermana (=sister)
• Primo (=cousin)
• Tío (=uncle)
• Tía (=aunt)
• Abuelo (=grandfather)
• Abuela (=grandmother)

For IAN

• Suegro OR suegra (=father OR mother in law)
• Cuñado OR cuñada (=brother OR sister in law)
• Medio hermano (=half brother)
• Media hermana (=half sister)
• Padrastro OR madrastra (=step father OR mother)
• Hijastro OR hijastra (=step son OR daughter)
• Padrino OR madrina (=Godfather OR Godmother)
• Esposo OR esposa (=husband OR wife)
• Novio OR novia (=boyfriend OR girlfriend)

Sample conversations:

Describing yourself

A: ¿Cómo eres? (=How are you, idiom. What are you like?

B: Yo soy ____________, _____________ y ______________ (pick adjectives that agree in gender with your own gender).

Describing family members

A: ¿Cómo es tu _________ (=add family member) físicamente? ​

B: Él OR Ella es _________, ___________ y _____________.​

A: ¿Cómo es él OR ella en su personalidad? ​

B: Él OR ella es _________, ___________ y _____________.​

Optional for B2, IAN:

A: ¿Dónde __________ (=vivir) él OR ella?

B: Él OR ella ____________ (=vivir) en ________________.

A: ¿Te hace falta tu ______________? (IAN, hacer falta=to feel the lack, idiom. to miss someone)

B: Sí, me hace falta mi ____________ OR No, no me hace falta mi _________________.

A: ¿Tienes hermanos?

B: Sí, tengo ___________ (=add number) hermanos y ____________ hermanas (=add number). OR No tengo hermanos OR hermanas.

A: ¿Cómo son?

B: _________________________________________ (=add sentence with adjectives).

A: ¿Son indígenas, angloamericanos, hispanos….?

B: Ellos son ___________________ (add ethnicity AND culture).

Describiendo a tu pareja (=partner, couple).

A: ¿Tienes pareja?

B: Sí, tengo ________________ (novio/novia/esposo/esposa). / No, no tengo.

A: ¿Viven juntos?

B: Sí, vivimos juntos. / No, no vivimos juntos.

A: ¿Cómo es?

B: Es _____________, ______________ y _______________ (add description).