“El mar” or “la mar”? Well, that depends!
First of all:
This video is one of our “Trocitos de Real Spanish” (Little Bits of Real Spanish). A trocito is a small amount of something — usually something to eat, like a trocito of chocolate! This particular one is a preview of a full lesson from our ebook Spanish for Perfectionists No. 1. Below you'll also find a link to a free sample lesson from Spanish for Perfectionists No. 2.
Hi there! I'm Elizabeth from Real Spanish, and like you, I'm passionate about learning Spanish.
After all these years of studying, I thought I'd pretty much figured out which nouns are masculine and which are feminine. What a surprise it was to discover that el mar and la mar both exist! Same word, two genders, and a nuance of difference between them that's worth knowing.
The video below explains when to use el mar and when to use la mar, plus several really cool expressions with the word mar that native speakers use all the time. Heads up: a couple of them are a little vulgar!
To view the video, click on the image.
Transcript: Download the PDF
Bonus: a poem, and a few more expressions
El mar. La mar.
El mar. ¡Sólo la mar!
¿Por qué me trajiste, padre,
a la ciudad?
Rafael Alberti, Marinero en Tierra (1924)
(“The sea. The sea. The sea, only the sea! Father, why did you bring me to the city?”)
That's how one of Rafael Alberti's best-known poems opens (1902–1999, born in Puerto de Santa María, Cádiz). Notice he uses both genders: el mar of the city-dweller, and la mar of the sailor, who longs for the sea of his childhood. There's the nuance we talked about in the video, turned into poetry.
And while we're at it,…
… a couple more details about mar that don't come up in the video: it's also used in the feminine when followed by an adjective describing its state, like mar gruesa (rough sea), mar rizada (choppy sea), or mar llana (calm sea). And in poetry and literature generally, la mar is preferred, because it sounds more expressive and emotive, as Alberti shows.
A couple more expressions for your collection: pelillos a la mar is used to say we're making up after an argument — roughly "let bygones be bygones." And if you hear about goods de ultramar, it means merchandise that's come from far away, from the other side of the sea — which is also where ultramarinos comes from, the traditional word for a grocery store.
Here I actually had to check which preposition was correct: sacar partido a or sacar partido de ("to make the most of"). To my surprise, both are correct. I checked with a very authoritative source, and it occurred to me this might be a useful resource for some of you too: the Fundación del Español Urgente (FundéuRAE).
Frequently asked questions
“El mar” or “la mar”: which is correct?
Both are correct. El mar is the standard, more common form; la mar is used mainly among fishermen and sailors, and also in poetry and literature, because it sounds more expressive and emotive.
Why does the word "mar" have both a masculine and a feminine form?
It comes from the Latin mare, which was neuter. As Spanish evolved, the word kept both forms, masculine and feminine, each with its own uses and contexts (according to the RAE).
What does "la mar de" mean?
It's a colloquial way of saying “a lot” or “very.” For example, estamos la mar de contentos means "we're really happy."
What does "¡me cago en la mar!" mean?
It's an expression of frustration or annoyance: a little vulgar, but quite mild, similar to "bloody hell!" in English.
More questions? Drop us a comment below and we'll get back to you!
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