Language/Macedonian/Grammar/Nouns:-Gender-and-Plurals
In this lesson, you will learn about the gender of nouns in Macedonian and how to form plural nouns.
Nouns in Macedonian
In Macedonian, nouns have three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. The gender of a noun is important because it affects the form of articles, adjectives, and some verbs that modify the noun.
For example, the definite article "the" changes depending on the gender of the noun:
- машко (masculine) - "the" is "тој" (toj)
- женско (feminine) - "the" is "таа" (taa)
- средно (neuter) - "the" is "то" (to)
Additionally, nouns in Macedonian have two numbers - singular and plural. The plural form is created by adding the suffix "-и" (for the masculine and neuter genders) or "-и/ици" (for the feminine gender) to the singular form of the noun.
For example:
- син (son) - синови (sons)
- автомобил (car) - автомобили (cars)
- мајка (mother) - мајки/мајчици (mothers)
Now, let's take a closer look at each gender.
Masculine Gender
The masculine gender includes all male beings and objects. Additionally, some words that do not refer to male beings or objects are also masculine.
Examples of masculine nouns in Macedonian include:
- човек (man)
- куќа (house)
- куче (dog)
- фудбал (football)
To form the plural of masculine nouns, add the suffix "-и" to the singular form of the noun.
Examples:
| Macedonian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| човек | chovek | man |
| човеци | choveci | men |
| куќа | koo-ja | house |
| куќи | koo-ji | houses |
| куче | koo-che | dog |
| кучиња | koo-chin-ya | dogs |
| фудбал | food-bal | football |
| фудбали | food-ba-li | footballs |
Feminine Gender
The feminine gender includes all female beings and objects. Additionally, some words that do not refer to female beings or objects are also feminine.
Examples of feminine nouns in Macedonian include:
- жена (woman)
- кафе (coffee)
- книга (book)
- река (river)
To form the plural of feminine nouns, add the suffix "-и/ици" to the singular form of the noun.
Examples:
| Macedonian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| жена | zhe-na | woman |
| жени/женки | zhe-ni/zhen-ki | women |
| кафе | kaf-e | coffee |
| кафиња | kafin-ya | coffees |
| книга | knee-ga | book |
| книги | knee-gi | books |
| река | re-ka | river |
| реки | re-ki | rivers |
Neuter Gender
The neuter gender includes all objects that are not living beings.
Examples of neuter nouns in Macedonian include:
- масло (oil)
- стакло (glass)
- дрво (tree)
- момче (boy)
To form the plural of neuter nouns, add the suffix "-и" to the singular form of the noun.
Examples:
| Macedonian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| масло | mas-lo | oil |
| масла | mas-la | oils |
| стакло | stak-lo | glass |
| стакла | stak-la | glasses |
| дрво | dr-vo | tree |
| дрва | dr-va | trees |
| момче | mom-che | boy |
| момчиња | mom-chin-ya | boys |
Exceptions
Like many other languages, Macedonian has some nouns that do not follow the typical patterns of gender and number formation. Here are a few exceptions:
- дете (child) - neuter gender, plural form: деца (detsa)
- око (eye) - neuter gender, plural form: очи (ochi)
- уво (ear) - neuter gender, plural form: уши (ushi)
- здравје (health) - neuter gender, plural form: no plural
It's important to memorize the exceptions in order to use them correctly in conversation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the gender and number of nouns are important concepts in Macedonian grammar. By understanding how to form plurals and assign gender accurately, you can communicate more effectively in Macedonian. In the next lesson, we will cover how adjectives agree with nouns in gender and number.
Related Lessons
- Asking Questions
- Feminine
- Gender
- Personal Pronouns
- How to Use Be
- Conditional Mood
- Plurals
- Common Conjunctions
- 0 to A1 Course
- Adjectives: Agreement and Comparatives
Sources
- Macedonian grammar - Wikipedia
- Learn Macedonian Language for FREE: Lesson 5
- Level 44 - Grammatical Rules - Basic Macedonian (with Grammar ...