Spanish Grammar/Nouns Ending in -ma, -pa, -ta
Many Spanish nouns ending in -ma, -pa, or -ta are masculine despite ending in -a. These nouns are generally Greek in origin. Some examples:
el clima - climate
el tema - theme
el programa - program
el cometa - comet
el planeta - planet
el mapa - map
el papa - pope
There are many exceptions - for example:
la dama - woman
la tapa - lid, top
la dieta - diet