Pitman's Commercial Spanish Grammar (2nd ed.)

1. The gender of names of countries, provinces, and towns is according to their termination (Lesson III), but those ending in d are generally masculine.

Exceptions are found, the names "ciudad" or "pueblo" being then understood.

2. Names of trees are masculine, those of fruits are feminine.

EXCEPTIONS --

 La higuera (the fig-tree)        El melocotón (the peach)
 La palma (the palm-tree)         El albérchigo (the peach)
 La viña (the vine-tree)          El durazno (the apricot)
 El dátil (the date)              El albaricoque (the apricot)
 El pistacho (the pistachio-nut)  El mango (the mango)
 El higo (the fig)

And a few more.

3. A masculine article is used with other parts of speech whole sentences used substantively, as --

Quiero un sí ó un no claro: I want a clear (decisive) yes or no.

El aprender es útil: Learning is useful.

El que lo haya hecho sin consultarme no puede serme de grande gusto: That he did it without consulting me is certainly not pleasing to me.

A list of principal exceptions to the rule given on Spanish gender by termination is given in Appendix I.

To the rules for the formation of the plural (Lesson III) we shall add --

1. Family names ending in z unstressed do not change --

Juan Fernández                But -- El Sr. Ruiz
Los Señores Fernández         Los Señores Ruices

2. The names of the vowels pluralize in es --

Las aes, las ees, las íes, las oes, las úes.

3. Some Latin words used in Spanish, as --

Accessit, déficit, fiat, ultimatum, agnus dei, etc., do not change for the plural, except -- Album -- álbumes.

For other peculiarities of number see Appendix II. Collective nouns in Spanish are generally followed by the verb in the singular, as -- La gente piensa: People think.

But after a collective noun, indefinite in its meaning, the verb may follow in the plural, as -- Una cantidad de géneros se vendió, or vendieron en subasta: A quantity of goods was or were sold by auction.

N.B. -- The tendency of the language is in favor of the singular.

                  Poner (to put, to place).

 Past Part.,      Puesto.
 Pres. Indic.,    Pongo.[174]
 Imper. Mood,     Pon ... poned ...[175]
 Past Def.,       Puse, pusiste, puso, pusimos, pusisteis, pusieron.
 Future Indic.,   Pondré, pondras, pondrá, pondremos, pondéis, pondrán.

                  Querer (to want a thing or person, to love a person, to be willing).

 Pres. Indic.,    Quiero, quieres,  quiere, --,        --,         quieren. [176]
 Past  Def.,      Quise,  quisiste, quiso,  quisimos,  quisisteis, quisieron.
 Fut. Indic.,     Querré, querrás,  querrá, querremos, querréis,   querrán.

Footnote 174: Verbs which are irregular in the Pres. Indic. 1st person singular only, have the same irregularity in the present subj. all through.

Footnote 175: The 1st person pi. and 3rd pers. sing. and pl. of the Imperative Mood are taken from the Subj. Mood.

Footnote 176: Verbs which in the pres. indic. are irregular in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd pers. sing. and 3rd pers. pl. have the same irregularities in the pres. subj. in the same persons.

                 Saber (to know).

 Pres. Indic.,   Sé, . . .
 Pres. Subj.,    Sepa,  sepas,   sepa,  sepamos,  sepáis,    sepan.
 Past Def.,      Supe,  supiste, supo,  supimos,  supisteis, supieron.
 Fut. Indic.,    Sabré, sabrás,  sabrá, sabremos, sabréis,   sabrán.