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Masculine Spanish nouns ending in '-ma'

In Spanish, nouns ending in -a are almost always feminine. This is one of the first rules you learn. However, there is a sneaky group of words ending in -ma that completely ignores this rule. These words are strictly masculine. Because they look perfectly feminine, English speakers frequently default to the feminine article and make the mistake of saying la problema instead of el problema.

Word list
idiomamA1 language el idioma idioma nativomA2 native language el idioma nativo poemamA2 poem el poema problemamA2 problem el problema programamA2 program el programa aromamB1 smell el aroma climamB1 climate el clima crucigramamB1 crossword el crucigrama diagramamB1 chart el diagrama diplomamB1 degree el diploma fantasmamB1 ghost el fantasma idioma extranjeromB1 foreign language el idioma extranjero idioma maternomB1 native language el idioma materno panoramamB1 landscape el panorama sistemamB1 system el sistema sistema solarmB1 solar system el sistema solar temamB1 topic el tema dilemamB2 dilemma el dilema enigmamB2 mystery el enigma fotogramafB2 frame el fotograma lemamB2 motto el lema pumamB2 puma el puma síntomamB2 symptom el síntoma enigmamC1 riddle el enigma hematomamC1 bruise el hematoma sistema inmunemC1 immune system el sistema inmune sistema inmunitariomC1 immune system el sistema inmunitario sistema inmunológicomC1 immune system el sistema inmunológico sistema nerviosomC1 nervous system el sistema nervioso carismamC2 charisma el carisma sistema operativomC2 operating system el sistema operativo tema tabúmC2 taboo subject el tema tabú
The Greek Connection

Why does this rule-breaking happen? Most of these masculine -ma words originally come from ancient Greek. When they were adapted into Spanish, they kept their original masculine gender, even though they ended up with an -a at the end.

Words like problema, sistema, and tema are classic examples. You will often notice that they look very similar to their English translations. If an English academic or technical word ends in -m or -me, its Spanish equivalent ending in -ma is almost certainly masculine.

Tengo un problema grave en el trabajo.
(I have a serious problem at work.)
Ese es un tema interesante.
(That is an interesting topic.)
El sistema educativo necesita cambios.
(The educational system needs changes.)
Everyday Vocabulary

You will spot these masculine words across many different everyday contexts. When talking about the weather, you use clima. For languages, you use idioma. In arts, entertainment, and technology, words like poema, programa, and crucigrama follow the exact same pattern.

El clima aquí es muy agradable en verano.
(The climate here is very pleasant in summer.)
El idioma oficial de México es el español.
(The official language of Mexico is Spanish.)
Él me escribió un poema romántico.
(He wrote me a romantic poem.)
Necesito instalar este programa en mi computadora.
(I need to install this program on my computer.)
Watch Out for Adjectives and Exceptions

Remember that the gender affects more than just the words el and un. Any adjectives describing these nouns must also be masculine. You must say un problema grave instead of una problema grave.

Also, keep in mind that not every single word ending in -ma is masculine. Everyday words like cama (bed) and crema (cream) are regular feminine nouns. The masculine rule mostly applies to the cognates we discussed earlier, though a few other words like fantasma also belong to the masculine group.

La fiebre es un síntoma común.
(Fever is a common symptom.)
Los niños vieron un fantasma blanco en la casa vieja.
(The children saw a white ghost in the old house.)
Summary

When you see a Spanish word ending in -ma that looks similar to an English word (like problema or sistema), it is almost always masculine. Always pair these nouns with masculine articles and masculine adjectives.