Mismatching word gender in Spanish












8














My native language is a genderless language, there is no masculine/feminine words, and so there is no being agreeable in grammar. This causes a lot of confusion for me as a Spanish Learner and no matter how much I try to be agreeable sometimes make mistake in a/o or el/la or .... Spanish teachers tend to say: "You will not be understood if you are not agreeable!".



My question is: How does a native Spanish speaker feel if I mistake word genders? Is it considered a mistake? Is it offensive? Will it totally lose meaning?






gramática género







share|improve this question
























  • My wife has been 20 years here and still manages to do that kind of mistakes too often. Nobody bats an eye...
    – Rui F Ribeiro
    10 hours ago










  • My native langugae is not genderless. This doesn't prevent me from (or sometimes even leads me to) mixing gender in foreign languages.
    – Hagen von Eitzen
    4 hours ago


















8














My native language is a genderless language, there is no masculine/feminine words, and so there is no being agreeable in grammar. This causes a lot of confusion for me as a Spanish Learner and no matter how much I try to be agreeable sometimes make mistake in a/o or el/la or .... Spanish teachers tend to say: "You will not be understood if you are not agreeable!".



My question is: How does a native Spanish speaker feel if I mistake word genders? Is it considered a mistake? Is it offensive? Will it totally lose meaning?






gramática género







share|improve this question
























  • My wife has been 20 years here and still manages to do that kind of mistakes too often. Nobody bats an eye...
    – Rui F Ribeiro
    10 hours ago










  • My native langugae is not genderless. This doesn't prevent me from (or sometimes even leads me to) mixing gender in foreign languages.
    – Hagen von Eitzen
    4 hours ago
















8












8








8







My native language is a genderless language, there is no masculine/feminine words, and so there is no being agreeable in grammar. This causes a lot of confusion for me as a Spanish Learner and no matter how much I try to be agreeable sometimes make mistake in a/o or el/la or .... Spanish teachers tend to say: "You will not be understood if you are not agreeable!".



My question is: How does a native Spanish speaker feel if I mistake word genders? Is it considered a mistake? Is it offensive? Will it totally lose meaning?






gramática género







share|improve this question















My native language is a genderless language, there is no masculine/feminine words, and so there is no being agreeable in grammar. This causes a lot of confusion for me as a Spanish Learner and no matter how much I try to be agreeable sometimes make mistake in a/o or el/la or .... Spanish teachers tend to say: "You will not be understood if you are not agreeable!".



My question is: How does a native Spanish speaker feel if I mistake word genders? Is it considered a mistake? Is it offensive? Will it totally lose meaning?






gramática género




gramática género






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 52 mins ago









David Wheatley

32




32










asked 18 hours ago









roozbeh S

1853




1853












  • My wife has been 20 years here and still manages to do that kind of mistakes too often. Nobody bats an eye...
    – Rui F Ribeiro
    10 hours ago










  • My native langugae is not genderless. This doesn't prevent me from (or sometimes even leads me to) mixing gender in foreign languages.
    – Hagen von Eitzen
    4 hours ago




















  • My wife has been 20 years here and still manages to do that kind of mistakes too often. Nobody bats an eye...
    – Rui F Ribeiro
    10 hours ago










  • My native langugae is not genderless. This doesn't prevent me from (or sometimes even leads me to) mixing gender in foreign languages.
    – Hagen von Eitzen
    4 hours ago


















My wife has been 20 years here and still manages to do that kind of mistakes too often. Nobody bats an eye...
– Rui F Ribeiro
10 hours ago




My wife has been 20 years here and still manages to do that kind of mistakes too often. Nobody bats an eye...
– Rui F Ribeiro
10 hours ago












My native langugae is not genderless. This doesn't prevent me from (or sometimes even leads me to) mixing gender in foreign languages.
– Hagen von Eitzen
4 hours ago






My native langugae is not genderless. This doesn't prevent me from (or sometimes even leads me to) mixing gender in foreign languages.
– Hagen von Eitzen
4 hours ago












1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes


















15














Well, your teachers might get upset if I tell you this but: it's a lie, you will be understood haha.



I guess they say it to encourage you to correct your mistakes. You should correct them anyways. I trust you will try to speak correctly anyways, so I'm telling you te truth. I don't want you to be so worried and stressed to avoid mistakes. Just try to fix them.



Now I'll answer your next questions:




How does a native Spanish speaker feel if I someone mistakes genders?




A Native Speaker would immediately detect that you are not a Spaniard, altough the accent is the first indicator haha.




Is it offensive?




No, it is not. If it is not your native language, it's normal to commit mistakes. Nobody should get upset for that. If someone does, he's a madman.




Is it considered a mistake?




Yes, it is.



We still understand, but that doesn't mean it's not a mistake. It's like saying



"I are happy" instead of "I am happy". Everybody understands, but it is wrong. In fact, it's kind of "basic" that everything must agree, so it is immediately detected. However, some nouns are difficult, like "agua" or "mano". It's more normal that people get confused there.




or will it totally lose meaning?




Most words are equally well understood if you choose the wrong gender. For example, if you say "la agua", people would perfectly understand.



Some others can be less clear. For example, if you said "el mano", it could be confused with "hermano", so be careful.



And it's worse when similar words change meaning. For example: la puerta (the door) vs. el puerto (the port). If you mix them, like "la puerto", you wouldn't be able to tell what one you meant, unless the context is clear.



So, this is all. My point is that you should not be "scared" about commiting mistakes. Everybody does. However, it is important that you correct them.






share|improve this answer























  • For comparison: I know people from China who are learning English, and they sometimes mess up he/she because they use a gender-neutral third-person pronoun in Mandarin. Generally it's pretty clear it was a mistake and we laugh about it, but in the wrong context, I could see how it could become offensive (like how someone might deliberately call men "ladies" as an insult). It seems that Spanish speakers tend to react the same way as English speakers do in this case.
    – Thunderforge
    1 hour ago













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1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes








1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes









active

oldest

votes






active

oldest

votes









15














Well, your teachers might get upset if I tell you this but: it's a lie, you will be understood haha.



I guess they say it to encourage you to correct your mistakes. You should correct them anyways. I trust you will try to speak correctly anyways, so I'm telling you te truth. I don't want you to be so worried and stressed to avoid mistakes. Just try to fix them.



Now I'll answer your next questions:




How does a native Spanish speaker feel if I someone mistakes genders?




A Native Speaker would immediately detect that you are not a Spaniard, altough the accent is the first indicator haha.




Is it offensive?




No, it is not. If it is not your native language, it's normal to commit mistakes. Nobody should get upset for that. If someone does, he's a madman.




Is it considered a mistake?




Yes, it is.



We still understand, but that doesn't mean it's not a mistake. It's like saying



"I are happy" instead of "I am happy". Everybody understands, but it is wrong. In fact, it's kind of "basic" that everything must agree, so it is immediately detected. However, some nouns are difficult, like "agua" or "mano". It's more normal that people get confused there.




or will it totally lose meaning?




Most words are equally well understood if you choose the wrong gender. For example, if you say "la agua", people would perfectly understand.



Some others can be less clear. For example, if you said "el mano", it could be confused with "hermano", so be careful.



And it's worse when similar words change meaning. For example: la puerta (the door) vs. el puerto (the port). If you mix them, like "la puerto", you wouldn't be able to tell what one you meant, unless the context is clear.



So, this is all. My point is that you should not be "scared" about commiting mistakes. Everybody does. However, it is important that you correct them.






share|improve this answer























  • For comparison: I know people from China who are learning English, and they sometimes mess up he/she because they use a gender-neutral third-person pronoun in Mandarin. Generally it's pretty clear it was a mistake and we laugh about it, but in the wrong context, I could see how it could become offensive (like how someone might deliberately call men "ladies" as an insult). It seems that Spanish speakers tend to react the same way as English speakers do in this case.
    – Thunderforge
    1 hour ago


















15














Well, your teachers might get upset if I tell you this but: it's a lie, you will be understood haha.



I guess they say it to encourage you to correct your mistakes. You should correct them anyways. I trust you will try to speak correctly anyways, so I'm telling you te truth. I don't want you to be so worried and stressed to avoid mistakes. Just try to fix them.



Now I'll answer your next questions:




How does a native Spanish speaker feel if I someone mistakes genders?




A Native Speaker would immediately detect that you are not a Spaniard, altough the accent is the first indicator haha.




Is it offensive?




No, it is not. If it is not your native language, it's normal to commit mistakes. Nobody should get upset for that. If someone does, he's a madman.




Is it considered a mistake?




Yes, it is.



We still understand, but that doesn't mean it's not a mistake. It's like saying



"I are happy" instead of "I am happy". Everybody understands, but it is wrong. In fact, it's kind of "basic" that everything must agree, so it is immediately detected. However, some nouns are difficult, like "agua" or "mano". It's more normal that people get confused there.




or will it totally lose meaning?




Most words are equally well understood if you choose the wrong gender. For example, if you say "la agua", people would perfectly understand.



Some others can be less clear. For example, if you said "el mano", it could be confused with "hermano", so be careful.



And it's worse when similar words change meaning. For example: la puerta (the door) vs. el puerto (the port). If you mix them, like "la puerto", you wouldn't be able to tell what one you meant, unless the context is clear.



So, this is all. My point is that you should not be "scared" about commiting mistakes. Everybody does. However, it is important that you correct them.






share|improve this answer























  • For comparison: I know people from China who are learning English, and they sometimes mess up he/she because they use a gender-neutral third-person pronoun in Mandarin. Generally it's pretty clear it was a mistake and we laugh about it, but in the wrong context, I could see how it could become offensive (like how someone might deliberately call men "ladies" as an insult). It seems that Spanish speakers tend to react the same way as English speakers do in this case.
    – Thunderforge
    1 hour ago
















15












15








15






Well, your teachers might get upset if I tell you this but: it's a lie, you will be understood haha.



I guess they say it to encourage you to correct your mistakes. You should correct them anyways. I trust you will try to speak correctly anyways, so I'm telling you te truth. I don't want you to be so worried and stressed to avoid mistakes. Just try to fix them.



Now I'll answer your next questions:




How does a native Spanish speaker feel if I someone mistakes genders?




A Native Speaker would immediately detect that you are not a Spaniard, altough the accent is the first indicator haha.




Is it offensive?




No, it is not. If it is not your native language, it's normal to commit mistakes. Nobody should get upset for that. If someone does, he's a madman.




Is it considered a mistake?




Yes, it is.



We still understand, but that doesn't mean it's not a mistake. It's like saying



"I are happy" instead of "I am happy". Everybody understands, but it is wrong. In fact, it's kind of "basic" that everything must agree, so it is immediately detected. However, some nouns are difficult, like "agua" or "mano". It's more normal that people get confused there.




or will it totally lose meaning?




Most words are equally well understood if you choose the wrong gender. For example, if you say "la agua", people would perfectly understand.



Some others can be less clear. For example, if you said "el mano", it could be confused with "hermano", so be careful.



And it's worse when similar words change meaning. For example: la puerta (the door) vs. el puerto (the port). If you mix them, like "la puerto", you wouldn't be able to tell what one you meant, unless the context is clear.



So, this is all. My point is that you should not be "scared" about commiting mistakes. Everybody does. However, it is important that you correct them.






share|improve this answer














Well, your teachers might get upset if I tell you this but: it's a lie, you will be understood haha.



I guess they say it to encourage you to correct your mistakes. You should correct them anyways. I trust you will try to speak correctly anyways, so I'm telling you te truth. I don't want you to be so worried and stressed to avoid mistakes. Just try to fix them.



Now I'll answer your next questions:




How does a native Spanish speaker feel if I someone mistakes genders?




A Native Speaker would immediately detect that you are not a Spaniard, altough the accent is the first indicator haha.




Is it offensive?




No, it is not. If it is not your native language, it's normal to commit mistakes. Nobody should get upset for that. If someone does, he's a madman.




Is it considered a mistake?




Yes, it is.



We still understand, but that doesn't mean it's not a mistake. It's like saying



"I are happy" instead of "I am happy". Everybody understands, but it is wrong. In fact, it's kind of "basic" that everything must agree, so it is immediately detected. However, some nouns are difficult, like "agua" or "mano". It's more normal that people get confused there.




or will it totally lose meaning?




Most words are equally well understood if you choose the wrong gender. For example, if you say "la agua", people would perfectly understand.



Some others can be less clear. For example, if you said "el mano", it could be confused with "hermano", so be careful.



And it's worse when similar words change meaning. For example: la puerta (the door) vs. el puerto (the port). If you mix them, like "la puerto", you wouldn't be able to tell what one you meant, unless the context is clear.



So, this is all. My point is that you should not be "scared" about commiting mistakes. Everybody does. However, it is important that you correct them.







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited 15 hours ago









ukemi

7,95521750




7,95521750










answered 16 hours ago









FGSUZ

3,333317




3,333317












  • For comparison: I know people from China who are learning English, and they sometimes mess up he/she because they use a gender-neutral third-person pronoun in Mandarin. Generally it's pretty clear it was a mistake and we laugh about it, but in the wrong context, I could see how it could become offensive (like how someone might deliberately call men "ladies" as an insult). It seems that Spanish speakers tend to react the same way as English speakers do in this case.
    – Thunderforge
    1 hour ago




















  • For comparison: I know people from China who are learning English, and they sometimes mess up he/she because they use a gender-neutral third-person pronoun in Mandarin. Generally it's pretty clear it was a mistake and we laugh about it, but in the wrong context, I could see how it could become offensive (like how someone might deliberately call men "ladies" as an insult). It seems that Spanish speakers tend to react the same way as English speakers do in this case.
    – Thunderforge
    1 hour ago


















For comparison: I know people from China who are learning English, and they sometimes mess up he/she because they use a gender-neutral third-person pronoun in Mandarin. Generally it's pretty clear it was a mistake and we laugh about it, but in the wrong context, I could see how it could become offensive (like how someone might deliberately call men "ladies" as an insult). It seems that Spanish speakers tend to react the same way as English speakers do in this case.
– Thunderforge
1 hour ago






For comparison: I know people from China who are learning English, and they sometimes mess up he/she because they use a gender-neutral third-person pronoun in Mandarin. Generally it's pretty clear it was a mistake and we laugh about it, but in the wrong context, I could see how it could become offensive (like how someone might deliberately call men "ladies" as an insult). It seems that Spanish speakers tend to react the same way as English speakers do in this case.
– Thunderforge
1 hour ago




















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