Many Portuguese nouns are easy to identify as being feminine (ending in “a” or “as“) and masculine (ending in “o” or “os“). But what about nouns that don’t fall into either of these? How do you know if they are masculine or feminine?
For that, you need to know the other common endings that dictate what the gender of the noun is. So, if you’ve been stressing or struggling with this in the past, stress no more. Below is an extensive guide to help you never get these wrong again! Obviously, the lists below have some words you don’t absolutely need to learn if you’re a beginner (if ever). But I’ve included them to illustrate the variety of noun endings that end up not being the gender you are expecting.
- Other feminine noun endings
- Nouns ending in ção
- Nouns ending in agem
- Other Masculine noun endings
- Nouns ending in L
- Nouns ending in r
- Nouns ending in á
- Special cases
- Nouns that can be both
- Nouns that don't have a pattern
- Forming the feminine counterpart for some nouns
- Making the feminine of nouns that end in "ão"
- Feminine counterparts made by adding an "a"
- Nouns ending in "esa", "isa" or "essa"
- Some nouns have different words for their feminine counterparts
- Swearing/Cursing/Slang
Other feminine noun endings
All nouns ending “ade” are always feminine, here are some examples below:
| Feminine singular | Feminine plural |
| a cidade (the city) | as cidades (the cities) |
| a quantidade (the quantity) | as quantidades (the quantities) |
| a novidade (the novelty) | as novidades (the novelties) |
| a qualidade (the quality) | as qualidades (the qualities) |
| a realidade (the reality) | as realidades (the realities) |
| a faculdade (the faculty) | as faculdades (the faculties) |
| a universidade (the university) | as universidades (the universities) |
| a liberdade (the liberty) | as liberdades (the liberties) |
| a amizade (the friendship) | as amizades (the friendships) |
| a vontade (the will/volition) | as vontades (the wills/volitions) |
Nouns ending in ção
All nouns ending in “ção” are feminine.
With the exception of “o coração” (the heart ), all nouns ending in “ção” are feminine. Some examples:
| Feminine singular | Feminine plural |
| a intenção (the intention) | as intenções (the intentions) |
| a nação (the nation) | as nações (the nations) |
| a situação (the situation) | as situações (the situations) |
| a imaginação (the imagination) | as imaginações (the imaginations) |
| a organização (the organization) | as organizações (the organizations) |
| a tradução (the translation) | as traduções (the translations) |
| a vedação (the fence) | as vedações (the fences) |
| a posição (the position) | as posições (the positions) |
Nouns ending in agem
All nouns ending in “agem” are feminine.
There is one exception which is the noun “personagem” (the character/persona) which is determined by the gender of the person it’s related to.
| Feminine singular | Feminine plural |
| a paisagem (the landscape) | as paisagens (the landscapes) |
| a viagem (the journey/voyage) | as viagens (the journeys/voyages) |
| a garagem (the garage) | as garagens (the garages) |
| a imagem (the image) | as imagens (the images) |
| a margem (the margin) | as margens (the margins) |
| a bagagem (the luggage/baggage) | as bagagens (the luggages/baggages) |
| a mensagem (the message) | as mensagens (the messages) |
Other Masculine noun endings
All nouns ending in “grama”, “ema” or “oma” are masculine.
Three honourable mentions: “o clima” (climate), “o pijama” (pajamas) and “o drama” (drama) are also masculine.
| Masculine singular | Masculine plural |
| o programa (the program) | os programas (the programs) |
| o kilograma (the kilogram) | os kilogramas (the kilograms) |
| o anagrama (the anagram) | os anagramas (the anagrams) |
| o cinema (the cinema) | os cinemas (the cinemas) |
| o problema (the problem) | os problemas (the problems) |
| o lema (the motto) | os lemas (the mottos) |
| o sistema (the system) | os sistemas (the systems) |
| o sintoma (the symptom) | os sintomas (the symptoms) |
| o idioma (the idom) | os idiomas (the idioms) |
| o coma (the coma) | os comas (the comas) |
Nouns ending in L
All nouns ending in the letter L are masculine. Some exceptions include: “a moral” (morale), “a vogal” (vowel) and “a variável” (the variable). Let’s have look at some examples:
| Masculine singular | Masculine plural |
| o mal (the evil) | os males (the evils) |
| o sal (the salt) | os sais (the salts) |
| o canal (the channel) | os canais (the channels) |
| o anzol (the fish hook) | os anzóis (the fish hooks) |
| o pastel (the pastry/cake) | os pastéis (the pastries) |
| o papel (the paper) | os papéis (the papers) |
| o anel (the ring) | os anéis (the rings) |
| o funil (the funel) | os funis (the funels) |
| o civil (the civil/civilian) | os civis (the civils/civilians) |
Nouns ending in r
All nouns ending in “r” are masculine. This also includes all nouns that come from verbs that are the same as the infinitive.
These are the words that describe the act in itself: “o comer” (the act of eating/the eating), “o fazer” (the act of doing/the doing), “o falar” (the act of speaking/the speaking). But the table below will only include nouns that end in r that aren’t from verbs. Some notable exceptions are “a flor” (the flower), “a dor” (the pain) and “a cor” (the colour) – these are feminine in Portuguese.
“or/ora”
What’s also important to note about some nouns ending in “r” (specifically ending in “or”), is that they become the feminine version by adding the letter “a” on to the end. These are usually nouns that describe occupations or relate to people. For example: “cantor/cantora” (singer), “doutor/doutora” (doctor), “professor/professora” (teacher), “senhor/senhora” (sir/maam) etc. A notable exception to this “or/ora” rule is the word “ator” for actor and “atriz” for actress.
| Masculine singular | Masculine plural |
| o ar (the air) | os ares (the airs) |
| o mar (the sea) | os mares (the seas) |
| o lar (the home) | os lares (the homes) |
| o polegar (the thumb) | os polegares (the thumbs) |
| o açúcar (the sugar) | os açúcares (the sugars) |
| o maxilar (the jaw) | os maxilares (the jaws) |
| o pilar (the pillar) | os pilares (the pillars) |
| o par (the pair) | os pares (the pairs) |
| o radar (the radar) | os radares (the radars) |
| o éter (the ether) | os éteres (the ethers) |
| o cadáver (the corpse) | os cadáveres (the corpses) |
| o caráter (the character/feature) | os caráteres (the characters/features) |
| o trator (the tractor) | os tratores (the tractors) |
| o pavor (the fear/dread) | os pavores (the fears/dreads) |
| o amor (the love) | os amores (the loves) |
| o tumor (the tumour) | os tumores (the tumours) |
| o rumor (the rumour) | os rumores (the rumours) |
| o fémur (the femur) | os fémures (the femurs) |
Nouns ending in á
All nouns ending in “á” are masculine, with he exception of “a pá” (the shovel/spade).
| Masculine singular | Masculine plural |
| o sofá (the sofa) | os sofás (the sofas) |
| o guaraná (the guarana) | os guranás (the guranas) |
| o rajá (the raja) | os rajás (the rajas) |
| o chá (the tea) | os chás (the teas) |
| o crachá (the badge/name tag) | os crachás (the badges/name tags) |
| o Canadá (Canada) | —— |
| o Panamá (Panama) | —— |
Special cases
All Portuguese nouns ending in “ie” are feminine. But borrowed nouns from English that end in “ie” are masculine. (unless they relate to people such as ‘junkie’ and ‘hippie’, then it will be determined by the gender of the person.) An exception to the borrowed words ending in “ie” rule is “lingerie” from French – it’s feminine in Portuguese.
| Feminine singular | Feminine plural | Masculine singular | Masculine plural |
| a superfície (the surface) | as superfícies (the surfaces) | o zombie | os zombies |
| a espécie (the species) | as espécies (the species) | o walkie-talkie | os walkie-talkies |
| a série (the series) | as séries (the series) | o junkie | os junkies |
| a cárie (the cavity) | as cáries (the cavities) | o cookie | os cookies |
| a planície (the plane/flat land) | as planícies (planes/flat lands) | o hippie | os hippies |
| a lingerie | as lingeries | o brie | os bries |
Nouns that can be both
Nouns ending in “ista”, “ente” or “ante”, that relate to people, the gender will be determined by the person. So how do you know for sure? It will be determined by the definite article or adjectives that are used around the noun. The noun itself won’t change. Honourable mentions: “terapeuta” and “fisioterapeuta”. Their gender is also determined by the person it’s related to whilst the noun itself will also remain unchanged
| Feminine singular | Feminine plural | Masculine singular | Masculine plural |
| a pianista (the female pianist) | as pianistas (the female pianists) | o pianista (the male pianist) | os pianistas (male pianists) |
| a dentista (the fem. dentist) | as dentistas (the fem.dentists) | o dentista (the male dentist) | os dentistas (male dentists) |
| a artista (the fem. artist) | as artistas (the female artists) | o artista (the male artist) | os artistas (the male artists) |
| a presidente (the fem. president) | as presidentes (the fem. presidents) | o presidente (male president) | os presidentes (male presidents) |
| a estudante (the fem. student) | as estudantes (the fem. students) | o estudante (the male student) | os estudantes (male students) |
| a viajante (fem. traveler) | as viajantes (fem. travelers) | o viajante (male traveler) | os viajantes (male travelers) |
Nouns that don’t have a pattern
And how could we leave out the odd ones? These next ones are examples of nouns that have to be learned separately.
| Feminine singular | Feminine plural | Masculine singular | Masculine plural |
| a maré (the tides) | as marés (the tides) | o café (the coffee/the cafe) | os cafés (coffees/cafes) |
| a rede (the net) | as redes (the nets) | o dia (the day) | os dias (the days) |
| a internet | —– | o lápis (the pencil) | os lápis (the pencils) |
| a árvore (the tree) | as árvores (the trees) | o mapa (the map) | os mapas (the maps) |
| a flor (the flower) | as flores (the flowers) | o dente (the tooth) | os dentes (the teeth) |
| a rádio (the radio station) | as rádios (the radio stations) | o pé (the foot) | os pés (the feet) |
| a tribo (the tribe) | as tribos (the tribes) | o boi (the ox) | os bois (the oxen) |
| a lente (the lense) | as lentes (the lenses) | o leite (the milk) | os leites (the milks) |
| a carne (the meat) | as carnes (the meats) | o peixe (the fish) | os peixes (the fish/fishes) |
Forming the feminine counterpart for some nouns
Some nouns become feminine, simply by changing the final “o” into “a“:
| Feminine singular | Feminine plural | Masculine singular | Masculine plural |
| a pomba (the dove) | as pombas (the doves) | o pombo (the pigeon) | os pombos (the pigeons) |
| a raposa (the female fox) | as raposas (the female foxes/ foxes in general) | o raposo (the male fox) | os raposos (the male foxes) |
| a amiga (the fem.friend) | as amigas (the fem.friends) | o amigo (the male friend) | os amigos (the male friends/ the friends) |
| a menina (the girl) | as meninas (the girls) | o menino (the boy) | os meninos (the boys/ the kids/children) |
| a filha (the daughter) | as filhas (the daughters) | o filho (the son) | os filhos (the sons/ the children) |
| a prima (the fem.cousin) | as primas (the fem.cousins) | o primo (the male cousin) | os primos (the male cousins/ the cousins) |
| a neta (the grandaughter) | as netas (the grandaughters) | o neto (the grandson) | os netos (the grandsons/ grandchildren) |
Making the feminine of nouns that end in “ão”
The feminine versions of these next ones (some of them are adjectives too), change their endings to either: “ã”, “ona” or “oa”. Unfortunately, there is no rule as to which one go to what. (These do NOT include the nouns ending in “ção” as they are only feminine – as we saw here)
| Masculine singular | Masculine plural | Feminine singular | Feminine plural |
| o irmão (the brother) | os irmãos (the brothers/ siblings) | a irmã (the sister) | as irmãs (the sisters) |
| o ancião (the male elder) | os anciões (the male elders/ the elders) | a anciã (the female elder) | as anciãs (the female elders) |
| o mandrião (the lazy one – male) | os mandriões (the lazy ones – males) | a mandriona (the lazy one – female) | as mandrionas (the lazy ones – females) |
| o comilão (the glutton – male) | os comilões (the gluttons – males) | a comilona (the glutton – female) | as comilonas (the gluttons – females) |
| o patrão (the boss – male) | os patrões (the bosses) | a patroa (the boss – female) | as patroas (the bosses – female) |
| o leão (the lion) | os leões (the lions) | a leoa (the lioness) | as leoas (the lionesses) |
Feminine counterparts made by adding an “a”
We saw earlier that this was the case for some nouns ending in “or” (see here). The same is true if you add an “a” to masculine nouns ending in “ês” or “z”.
| Masculine singular | Masculine plural | Feminine singular | Feminine plural |
| o condutor (the male driver) | os condutores (the male drivers) | a condutora (the female driver) | as condutoras (the female drivers) |
| o produtor (the male producer) | os produtores (the male producers) | a produtora (the female producer) | as produtoras (the female producers) |
| o português (Portuguese male) | os portugueses (the Portuguese/ portuguese men) | a portuguesa (Portuguese woman) | as portuguesas (Portuguese women) |
| o inglês (the Englishman) | os inglêses (Englishmen/ the English) | a inglesa (Englishwoman) | as inglesas (Englishwomen) |
| o juíz (the judge – male) | os juízes (the judges – males) | a juíza (the judge – female) | as juízas (the judges – female) |
| o aprendiz (the apprentice – male) | os aprendizes (the apprentices – males) | a aprendiza (the apprentice – female) | as aprendizas (the apprentices – females) |
Nouns ending in “esa”, “isa” or “essa”
If you see any nouns ending in “esa”, “isa” or “essa”, you’ll know they are a feminine counterpart to a masculine noun. However, they are irregular and there is no precise rule to determine how the feminine version is achieved and vice versa.
| Feminine singular | Feminine plural | Masculine singular | Masculine plural |
| a condessa (the countess) | as condessas (the countesses) | o conde (the count) | os condes (the counts) |
| a baronesa (the baroness) | as baronesas (the baronesses) | o barão (the baron) | os barões (the barons) |
| a poetisa (a poetess) | as poetisas (the poetesses) | o poeta (the poet) | os poetas (the poets) |
| a profetisa (the prophetess) | as profetisas (the prophetesses) | o profeta (the prophet) | os profetas (the prophets) |
Some nouns have different words for their feminine counterparts
| Masculine singular | Masculine plural | Feminine singular | Feminine plural |
| o cão (the dog) | os cães (dogs/ male dogs | a cadela (the bitch*) | as cadelas (the bitches*) |
| o pai (the father) | os pais (the fathers or the parents) | a mãe (the mother) | as mães (the mothers) |
| o padrinho (the godfather) | os padrinhos (the godfathers or godparents | a madrinha (the godmother) | as madrinhas (the godmothers) |
| o genro (the son-in-law) | os genros (the sons-in-law) | a nora (the daughter-in-law) | as noras (the daughters-in-law) |
| o rapaz (the boy/teen/ young adult) | os rapazes (the boys/teens/ young adults) | a rapariga** (the girl/teen/ young adult) | as raparigas** (the girls/teens/ young adults) |
| o frade (the friar) | os frades (the friars) | a freira (the nun) | as freiras (the nuns) |
| o cavalo (the horse) | os cavalos (the horses) | a égua (the mare) | as éguas (the mares) |
| o boi (the ox) | os bois (the oxen) | a vaca (the cow) | as vacas (the cows) |
Swearing/Cursing/Slang
*bitch (cadela) is not used as a slur, in Portuguese, for a female human. In fact, in slang, “cadela” means to get very drunk: “apanhar uma cadela” (to catch a bitch). The Portuguese word used as a slur equivalent to the English slur “bitch” is “cabra” = female goat.
**in Brasil, the word “rapariga” means prostitute. In Portugal some may use the word “menina” instead to denote prostitutes in a polite way: “casa de meninas” (house of girls). The offensive version is of course “put@”
To go back to the lesson on the definite articles in Portuguese, click here.