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The substantive and its complements
The noun is the grammatical category that names the spanish people, animals, or feelings of the things we talk about: chico, perro, mesa, risa.
- There are a number of complements to precise its specific meaning. Here we will describe, among others, the article and the adjective:
The article indicates whether the noun is known or unknown: el chico / un chico.
The adjective indicates a quality of the noun:
chico guapo / perro grande / mesa bonita / risa contagiosa.
Usual order
article + noun + adjective
El + chico + guapo
complements of the noun of the intensive course of spanish for foreigners
Gender and number
The noun and its complements agree in gender and number: masculine / femenine, singular / plural. Later we analyze it in detail.
Masculine, singular: El chico guapo - is masculine, by the use of article "el" and the termination of the noun and the adjective in -o. And it is singular by the absence of final-s in the noun and adjective.
Femenine, plural: Las mesas bonitas - is femenine by using the article "las" and the termination of the noun and the adjective in -a. And it is plural by the presence of plural -s in the final substantive and adjective.
Singular: El chico guapo / La mesa bonita / La risa contagiosa
Plural: Los chicos guapos / Las mesas bonitas / Las risas contagiosas
gender and number of the intensive course of spanish for foreigners
Article
The article determines the noun and is always placed in front of it, and can be an article: determinated or indeterminated.
- Determined - Refers to something we already know: el, los / la, las
- Indeterminate - Refers to something that we do not know: un, unos / una, unas
the article of the intensive course of spanish for foreigners
| Determined | Singular | Plural |
| masculine | el | los |
| femenine | la | las |
| Indeterminate | Singular | Plural |
| masculine | un | unos |
| femenine | una | unas |
Substantive
If you appoint people, animals or things, may be commons or owns:
Commons - They are not different from those of his kind: chica, hija, niño, hermano / leona, perra, gato, mono / casa, pelota, barco, cuadro,...
Owns - They are different from other people, rivers, seas, mountains, countries, ... and always begin with a capital letter: Isabel, Ebro, Mediterráneo, Teide, España,...
Gender. Normally, we can recognize nouns designating beings, people or animals, by his termination -o / -a and by the article preceding it, el, los / la, las; un, unos / una, unas:
el niño, la chica / el gato, la leona / el barco, el cuadro, la casa, la pelota,...
Exceptions: hombre / mujer ; toro / vaca ; caballo / yegua ;...
Number. Usually, the singular form goes without -s, and the plural goes with -s or -es by the end:
-s : coche / coches ; libro / libros ; calle / calles ; nube / nubes
-es : among other things, certain nouns that end in consonant - ciudad / ciudades ;
reloj / relojes ; animal / animales ; tren / trenes ; campeón / campeones ; par / pares ;
rey / reyes ; pez / peces
the substantive of the intensive course of spanish for foreigners
Adjective
The qualifying adjective indicates a quality of the noun and is usually placed behind him, but not always.
Gender. They can be variables or invariables:
Variables - With 2 endings, such as noun, or -o by the masculine or -a by the femenine.
el niño guapo, la chica lista / el gato reboltoso, la leona hambrienta / el barco ligero, el cuadro moderno, la casa pequeña, la pelota amarilla,...
Invariables - With only one termination for the masculine and the femenine. Among others:
interesante, importante / ideal, genial / ejemplar / capaz, veraz / amable, agradable
onubense, abulense (native of Huelva, Ávila, respectively) / caliente, valiente, permanente / soez
infantil, pueril / feliz / mayor, menor / veloz, feroz
Number. Plural goes with -s or -es:
-s for all adjectives ending in non-accented vowel:
los niños guapos, las chicas listas / los gatos reboltosos, las leonas hambrientas / los barcos ligeros, los cuadros modernos, las casas pequeñas, las pelotas amarillas,...
-es for adjectives ending in:
Consonant: ideales, geniales ;infantiles, pueriles ; ejemplares
But the -z consonant changes: capaces, veraces ; soeces
Accented vowel: israelíes, baladíes
the adjective of the intensive course of spanish for foreigners