Study guide
8.4 The Noun Phrase: Gender, Articles, Demonstratives, Possessives & Relatives
DELE A2 — Spanish Language Diploma Elementary
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1 Chapter 1: Exam Overview, Format & Scoring Structure
1.1 DELE A2 Identity, Purpose & Nationality Requirements 1.2 Four Pruebas & Official Test Administration 1.3 Scoring System: The 30/50 Group Rules & Pass Criteria
2 Chapter 2: Prueba 1 — Reading Comprehension Tasks & Strategies
2.1 Reading Tarea 1: Personal Correspondence & Informational Texts 2.2 Reading Tarea 2: Notices, Bulletins & Short Announcements 2.3 Reading Tarea 3: Matching Statements to Thematic Texts 2.4 Reading Tarea 4: Long Narrative Text & Changes of Topic
3 Chapter 3: Prueba 2 — Listening Comprehension Tasks & Auditory Techniques
3.1 Listening Tarea 1: Six Short Conversations with Picture Options 3.2 Listening Tarea 2: Radio News, Ads & Programme Extracts 3.3 Listening Tarea 3: One Conversation – Man, Woman or Neither 3.4 Listening Tarea 4: Seven Messages Matched to Ten Statements
4 Chapter 4: Prueba 3 — Written Expression & Interaction
4.1 Writing Tarea 1: Replying to a Personal Message (60–70 Words) 4.2 Writing Tarea 2: Option A (Personal Life) or Option B (Photos/Data) 4.3 The Official Writing Scale, Cohesion & Common Errors
5 Chapter 5: Prueba 4 — Oral Expression & Interaction
5.1 Oral Test Structure, 12-Minute Preparation & Official Scales 5.2 Oral Tarea 1: Prepared Presentation on a Personal Topic 5.3 Oral Tarea 2: Describing a Photograph (Monologue) 5.4 Oral Tarea 3: Simulated Conversation Linked to the Photo
6 Chapter 6: Essential A2 Grammar — Verb Systems & Tenses
6.1 Present Indicative Regulars, Stem-Changers & Irregulars 6.2 Reflexive Verbs & Verbs of Preference (Gustar, Encantar, Doler) 6.3 The Past Tenses: Pretérito Perfecto vs. Pretérito Indefinido 6.4 Pretérito Imperfecto & The Three-Way Past Tense Contrast
7 Chapter 7: Essential A2 Grammar — Syntax, Periphrases & Operators
7.1 Expressing the Future: Ir a + Inf, Present & Simple Future 7.2 Verbal Periphrases of Obligation, Ability & Desire 7.3 Direct & Indirect Object Pronouns and Position Rules 7.4 Affirmative Imperative: Tú & Usted Commands
8 Chapter 8: Foundational Contrasts & Sentence Building
8.1 Ser vs. Estar: Attributes, Locations, States & Gerunds 8.2 Por vs. Para: Causes, Destinations, Deadlines & Exchanges 8.3 Comparatives, Superlatives, Quantifiers & Negatives 8.4 The Noun Phrase: Gender, Articles, Demonstratives, Possessives & Relatives
9 Chapter 9: Thematic Vocabulary — Daily Life, Housing & Surroundings
9.1 Personal Identity, Physical Description & Family Relations 9.2 Home, Housing Types, Furniture & Household Tasks 9.3 City Navigation, Places in Town & Giving Directions
10 Chapter 10: Thematic Vocabulary — Services, Transactions & Health
10.1 Food, Dining Out, Supermarket Shopping & Ordering 10.2 Shopping for Clothes, Sizes, Prices & Commercial Transactions 10.3 Health, Body Parts, Illnesses & Pharmacy Visits 10.4 Work, Professions, Workplace Routines & Job Applications 10.5 Studies, Courses, Phones & Everyday Services
11 Chapter 11: Thematic Vocabulary — Leisure, Travel & Environment
11.1 Free Time, Hobbies, Sports & Entertainment 11.2 Travel, Accommodations, Transport Modes & Bookings 11.3 Weather, Climate, Seasons & Natural Environment
12 Chapter 12: Exam Day Strategy, Time Management & Final Review
12.1 Timing, Answer Sheets & Pacing on Exam Day 12.2 Identifying Distractors, False Friends & Traps 12.3 6-Week Structured Study Plan & High-Yield Checklist
8.4 The Noun Phrase: Gender, Articles, Demonstratives, Possessives & Relatives
Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI
Learn the frequent gender exceptions: el día, el mapa, el problema, el idioma, el tema, but la mano, la foto, la moto, la radio.
Articles, adjectives and possessives agree with the noun; nuestro/vuestro agree with the thing owned, not the owner.
Hay introduces something new (hay un banco), while está locates something known (el banco está aquí); 'hay el' is wrong.
Body parts take the article, not a possessive (me duele la cabeza); otro never takes un.
Que, donde and lo que join short sentences into the linked text that the writing scale rewards.
Last updated: September 2026
Quick Summary: The noun phrase (article + noun + adjective) is where A2 raters see the most agreement errors : la problema, las calles estrechos, mi cabeza me duele, un otro café . This section covers noun gender and number , adjective agreement , the articles (including hay vs está ), demonstratives , possessives , and the relative words que, donde, lo que . The DELE A2 writing scale names agreement, possessives and relatives explicitly in its band descriptors.
1. Noun Gender
Every Spanish noun is masculine or feminine, and articles and adjectives must agree with it.
Rule Masculine Feminine
Typical endings -o ( el libro ), -aje ( el viaje ), -or ( el color ) -a ( la casa ), -ción/-sión ( la canción ), -dad/-tad ( la ciudad, la libertad )
High-frequency exceptions el día, el mapa, el problema, el idioma, el tema, el programa, el sofá, el planeta la mano, la foto, la moto, la radio, la flor
People: one form, the article shows gender el estudiante, el turista, el cantante la estudiante, la turista, la cantante
Feminine nouns starting with a stressed a- or ha- take el in the singular , but they stay feminine: el agua fría, el aula pequeña ; in the plural, las aguas, las aulas .
2. Number (Plural)
- Singular ends in… Plural Examples
- a vowel + s casa → casas, café → cafés
- a consonant + es ciudad → ciudades, hotel → hoteles
- z -ces lápiz → lápices, vez → veces
- s with unstressed last syllable no change el lunes → los lunes, la crisis → las crisis
Watch the written accent in plurals: canción → canciones, habitación → habitaciones (the accent disappears) but examen → exámenes, joven → jóvenes (an accent appears).
3. Adjective Agreement and Position
Adjectives ending in -o have four forms: alto, alta, altos, altas .
Adjectives ending in -e or a consonant change only for number: grande/grandes, azul/azules, feliz/felices, fácil/fáciles .
Nationality adjectives ending in a consonant add -a : español/española, alemán/alemana, francés/francesa (note the accent is lost in the feminine).
Descriptive adjectives normally go after the noun: un piso luminoso, una camisa blanca .
Bueno, malo shorten before a masculine singular noun: un buen día, un mal momento . Grande becomes gran before any singular noun and then means "great": una gran ciudad (a great city) vs una ciudad grande (a big city).
With mixed-gender groups, use the masculine plural : Mi hermano y mi hermana son altos.
4. Articles, and Hay vs Está
- Masculine Feminine
- Definite (the) el, los la, las
- Indefinite (a, some) un, unos una, unas
Contractions: a + el = al ( voy al cine ), de + el = del ( salgo del trabajo ). Neither contracts with él (he): el libro de él .
Uses that differ from English:
Things you like or dislike take the definite article: Me gusta el café. No me gustan las películas de miedo.
Days of the week: el lunes (on Monday), los sábados (on Saturdays).
Clock times: a las tres, es la una .
Titles when you talk about someone: el señor García no está (but Buenos días, señor García ).
No article with a profession after ser : Soy enfermera (but Es una enfermera excelente with an adjective).
Hay vs está: use hay to say that something exists or to introduce something new, with un/una , numbers or no article: Hay un banco en esta calle. Hay dos farmacias cerca. Use está/están to locate something already known, with el/la or a name: El banco está al lado de la farmacia. The form hay el banco is wrong.
5. Demonstratives
- Distance Masc. sing. Fem. sing. Masc. pl. Fem. pl. Neuter Place adverb
- Near me este esta estos estas esto aquí
- Near you ese esa esos esas eso ahí
- Far from both aquel aquella aquellos aquellas aquello allí
Esta camisa (this shirt) vs está (verb estar ): the written accent changes the word.
The neuter forms refer to an unknown thing or an idea: ¿Qué es esto? — Eso es muy interesante.
Current spelling rules do not require an accent on demonstrative pronouns ( este es mi hermano ).
6. Possessives
Short forms (before the noun):
- Owner Singular noun Plural noun
- yo mi mis
- tú tu tus
- él / ella / usted su sus
- nosotros/as nuestro / nuestra nuestros / nuestras
- vosotros/as vuestro / vuestra vuestros / vuestras
- ellos / ellas / ustedes su sus
The possessive agrees with the thing owned , not the owner: nuestra casa, nuestros hijos; sus libros ("his books" or "their books").
Long forms (after the noun or after ser ): mío, tuyo, suyo, nuestro, vuestro, suyo (+ -a, -os, -as ). Examples: Es un amigo mío. ¿De quién es esta llave? — Es mía. Tu piso es grande; el mío es pequeño.
Clarifying su : su casa can mean his, her, your (usted) or their house. Clarify with de él, de ella, de usted : la casa de ella .
Body parts and clothes take the article, not a possessive , when the owner is clear: Me duele la cabeza (not mi cabeza me duele ). Me pongo el abrigo. Se lava las manos.
7. Other Determiners You Need
Otro never takes un : otro café (not un otro café ), otra vez .
Todo + article: todo el día, toda la semana, todos los días (every day).
Mucho/poco agree with the noun: mucha gente, pocos turistas ; with adjectives, use muy : muy caro .
For algún/ningún, alguien/nadie and negatives, see section 8.3.
8. Relative Words: Que, Donde, Lo que
Relative clauses let you join two short sentences. The writing scale mentions relatives at band 2 and relative clauses at band 3.
Relative Refers to Example
que people or things Tengo un amigo que vive en Sevilla. El libro que me regalaste es muy bueno.
donde places Esta es la ciudad donde nací. Hay un parque donde juegan los niños.
lo que "what", "the thing that" Lo que más me gusta es la comida. No entiendo lo que dice.
Compare the two versions: Vivo en un piso. El piso es pequeño. becomes El piso donde vivo es pequeño.
Common Noun-Phrase Errors
- Wrong Right
- la problema, la día el problema, el día
- las calles son estrechos las calles son estrechas
- un otro vaso otro vaso
- mi cabeza me duele me duele la cabeza
- hay el supermercado cerca hay un supermercado cerca / el supermercado está cerca
- es mío libro es mi libro / el libro es mío
- una ciudad donde que vivo la ciudad donde vivo