Gender in Spanish Professions

Some professions change endings depending on the gender of the worker:

Male ending: o → ejemplo: maestro

Female ending: a → ejemplo: maestra

Words ending in ista are gender - neutral. Gender is marked by the article or adjectives, not the ending.

Don't get tricked:

Ista can NEVER become isto.

Any word that is labeled as gender-neutral never changes the ending to match gender; only the article (EL/LA) changes.

How to identify gender for gender neutral jobs

Artista famoso → masculine ending

Artista famosa → feminine ending

Look at adjectives to confirm gender:

• Él es el artista. → has el before artsita → male artist

• Ella es la artista. → has la before artista → female artist

Gender-neutral job (artista):