Some Spanish nouns ending in -o (shortened from a feminine noun) are feminine

Some nouns ending in -o which are a shortened form in Spanish are feminine. This usually happens because the long word it derives from is feminine.

Read and listen to these examples:

La radio es muy informativa. (Radio = radiodifusión)Radio is very informative.

Pablo va a comprar una moto nueva. (Moto = motocicleta)Pablo is going to buy a new motorbike.

Nos gustan las fotos de Chile. (Foto = fotografía)We like the photos of Chili.

Mis amigos van a ir a una disco famosa. (Disco = discoteca)My friends are going to go to a famous disco.

Remember that these shortened nouns derive from longer feminine nouns, as mentioned before, and typically feminine nouns end in -a, -dad, -tad,-sis, -tis, and -umbre.

See also 

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Examples and resources

Nos gustan las fotos de Chile. (Foto = fotografía)We like the photos of Chili.
Mis amigos van a ir a una disco famosa. (Disco = discoteca)My friends are going to go to a famous disco.
Pablo va a comprar una moto nueva. (Moto = motocicleta)Pablo is going to buy a new motorbike.
La radio es muy informativa. (Radio = radiodifusión)Radio is very informative.
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