I thought quinceañera was only a feminine word and a special time in a girl's life, a cultural event.

Question

I thought quinceañera was only a feminine word and a special time in a girl's life, a cultural event when a girl becomes a woman. I didn't think it existed in the masculine and only means teenager. Your translation says it just means teenager..what about a 13, 14, 16 17,year old etc.? My textbook ¿Cómo te va?, says "quinceañera" means 15 year old...NOT teenager and it doesn't show it in the masculine at all. Can you respond as soon as possible? That same textbook shows hunger as a masculine noun. el hambre.

Answer 1

Quinceañera is a female who become 15 years old. A quinceañero es a male. Now depends on the country or regions and also time, some people may celebrate 15 y. o. birthday for a boy similar like to a girl but is not common, usually boys b-days are celebrated when they become 18 or even 16. A teenager is an adolescente

So, you are right, Quinceañera is only for girl.

Answer 2

La hambre sounds funny because it would elongate the aaaa sound too much because h's are silent. So it would sound like "Laambre". In order to distinguish the two words more we use el in Spanish because el ends in a consonant. El hambre doesn't blend as much, same with el agua instead of la agua. Both are still feminine though. When water or hunger become plural they are las aguas y las hambres, both indefinite articles end in consonants in the plural so blending isn't such a big problem.

Answer 3

el hambre is like el agua, el hache, et. al., a feminine noun beginning with a or ha and having the first syllable stressed. (it takes the masculine (in)definite article.)

Answer 4

How can it be feminine and have the article "el" attached to it? I have seen it as la hambre and el hambre. If it is el hambre then one would have to say , Tengo mucho hambre instead of mucha One of my students is from peru and says "mucha hambrea'. My textbook says it is masculine, el hambre. This website, spanishdict.com says it is feminine..la hambre???

"la hambre" is *not* correct. See Julian's explanation. - Gekkosan, OCT 6, 2010

Answer 5

Gfreed's explaination is correct as well as Spanishdic.com.

It's a feminine word, ie: Tengo mucha hambre. El hambre que tengo es mucha. Only the singular article is masculine.

Strictly speaking, both the definite and indefinate articles but ... on the whole, your point is well taken. - samdie, FEB 16, 2010

Right - 005faa61, FEB 16, 2010

Answer 6

quinceañera is just used for 15-year-old girls and hambre is masculine: el hambre

Hambre is actually feminine. - MeEncantanCarasSonrisas, FEB 16, 2010

Answer 7

Correction...My student from Peru says mucha hambre...

it is a mistake but very usual in those locations. - juluque, FEB 16, 2010

Opps, after reading Julian's I investigated and seems I was wrong, my be in my region (where I come from) where using it worng. Your student in peru are saying it right :) - juluque, FEB 16, 2010

another example: tengo mucha agua. (the adjective should follow the noun gender) - juluque, FEB 16, 2010