Gender Traps: ова ноћ, мој тата

Most Serbian nouns show their gender in the ending: a consonant means masculine, -а feminine, -о/-е neuter. This lesson practises the exceptions, whose gender shows only in the words that agree with them: мој / моја / моје (my) and овај / ова / ово (this).

• Many feminine nouns end in a consonant: ноћ, ствар, реч, помоћ, љубав, крв, јесен, пећ, вест, болест, област, страст. со (salt) and кћи (daughter) are feminine too.
• Abstract nouns in -ост are feminine: радост, младост.
• мисао (thought) is feminine, but посао (job) is masculine.
• доба (time, age) is neuter: у моје доба (in my day).
• наочаре (glasses) is plural only: моје наочаре.
• Nouns for men stay masculine, as does ауто: мој тата, мој колега, овај ауто.

Agree with the noun, not the subject: Фудбал је моја љубав (Football is my love).