Masculine or feminine? Spanish nouns with different meanings depending on their gender

Masculine or feminine? Spanish nouns with different meanings depending on their gender

We’ve all heard of false friends, words in Spanish that look like English words, but which have a completely different meaning, eg embarazada = pregnant, constipado = with a cold, but there are a number of Spanish nouns which have a different meaning depending on whether they have the definite article el or la.

Here are 30 in alphabetical order:

el calavera rotter, cad; reveller la calavera skull
el cámara cameraman la cámara camera; chamber
el canguro kangaroo la cangura female babysitter
el capital capital (money) la capital capital city
el caza fighter plane la caza hunting
el clave harpsichord la clave code; clef (music)
el cólera cholera la cólera anger, rage
el corte cut la corte court (royal); entourage
el crisma christmas card la crisma chrism (rel); nut (head)
el cura priest la cura cure
el defensa defender la defensa defence
el editorial editorial la editorial publishing company
el espada matador la espada sword
el final end; finale la final the final (sport)
el frente front la frente forehead
el gallina (male) coward la gallina hen
el guardia policeman, guardsman la guardia guard, police
el lila lilac (colour); twit, wimp la lila lilac (flower)
el mariquita poof (homosexual) la mariquita ladybird
el mayor male adult la mayor female adult
el orden order (in a series) la orden order (command)
el papa the Pope la papa potato
el parte report la parte part
el pelota creep la pelota ball
el pez fish (living) la pez tar
el policía policeman la policía the police
el radio radius la radio radio
el té tea la te T (the letter)
el veleta fickle person la veleta weathervane
el vocal member; director; chairman la vocal vowel
Paul Whitelock

About Paul Whitelock

Paul Whitelock is a retired former languages teacher, school inspector and translator, who emigrated to the Serranía de Ronda in 2008, where he lives with his second wife, Rita. He spends his time between Montejaque and Ronda doing DIY, gardening and writing.