70. The following adjectives lose
the final -o of the masculine singular when they
immediately precede their noun:
| bueno, |
good. |
ninguno, |
no, none. |
| malo, |
bad. |
primero, |
first, at first. |
| uno, |
one, an. |
tercero, |
third. |
| alguno, |
some, any. |
postrero, |
last. |
| |
| |
un buen
muchacho, |
a good boy. |
| el primer libro, |
the first book. |
| el tercer día, |
the third day. |
a. Grande may become gran
when before a noun of either gender, meaning 'great'
or 'grand.'
| un gran artista, |
a great artist. |
| una gran obra, |
a great work. |
b. Santo becomes san before
the masculine singular name of a saint, except before names beginning
with Do, To.
| San Juan, |
Saint John. |
| San Andrés, |
Saint Andrew. |
But:
| Santo Domingo, |
Saint Dominic. |
| Santo Tobías, |
Saint Tobias. |
c. Ciento, 'hundred,' becomes cien
before the noun it modifies.
| cien libros, |
a hundred books. |
| cien sillas grandes, |
a hundred large chairs. |
| cien buenos caballos, |
a hundred good horses. |
| cien mil hombres, |
a hundred thousand men. |
With numerals above one hundred ciento is used.
| ciento cincuenta, |
a hundred and fifty. |
| ciento diez, |
a hundred and ten. |
71. Adjectives used as Substantives.
Adjectives are very frequently used in Spanish as
substantives, taking the gender and number of the noun understood.
| el viejo, |
the old man. |
| los viejos, |
the old people, or the old man
and the old woman. |
| los buenos, |
the good (i.e., those who are good),
the good people. |
| la niña alta y la pequeña, |
the tall girl and the little one. |
La suerte de la fea la bonita
la desea. |
The pretty girl desires the lot of the ugly
one. |
72. Nouns of Material. The
material of which a thing is made is expressed by the preposition
de followed by the noun of material.
| un sombrero de paja, |
a straw hat. |
| una corbata de seda, |
a silk tie. |
73. Verbs with a
before an Infinitive. The following verbs take the
preposition a before an infinitive form of another
verb (see also 406):
| aprender, |
to learn. |
ir, |
to go. |
comenzar, |
to begin. |
| enseñar, |
to teach. |
venir, |
to come. |
volver, |
to return. |
| Aprendo a hablar español.
|
I am learning to speak Spanish. |
| Viene a trabajar. |
He comes to work. |
|
