⇒ In Spanish, almost any adjective can be used as a noun.
⇒ Most of the time these noun will be translated into English as the ____ one, where the blank is an adjective in English.
Quiero la roja.I want the red one. |
Compré las nuevas.I bought the new ones. |
Vi una casa grande y una pequeña.I saw a large house and a small one. |
⇒ Adjectives are often used as nouns to refer to a noun that was recently mentioned.
¿Te gusta la falda verde o la falda negra? - Me gusta la negra.Do you like the green skirt or the black skirt? - I like the black one. |
⇒ To use an adjective as a noun, you simply add an article. The article must match the noun it refers to in gender and number.
Examples:
Adjective | Singular Masculine Noun Form | Singular Feminine Noun Form | Plural Masculine Noun Form | Plural Feminine Noun Form |
---|---|---|---|---|
rojo (red) | el rojo | la roja | los rojos | las rojas |
nuevo (new) | el nuevo | la nueva | los nuevos | las nuevas |
barato (cheap) | el barato | la barata | los baratos | las baratas |
Me gusta el vestido azul, pero el rojo es más barato.I like the blue dress, but the red one is cheaper. |
⇒ Since the noun vestido is masculine and singular, rojo is also masculine and singular.
⇒ Remember that when a person is the direct object of a verb, you must use the personal a.
⇒ When a precedes el, they combine to form the contraction al
⇒ This same contraction rule applies to de + el, which together form del
¿Conoces al hombre viejo o al joven?Do you know the old man or the young one? |
¿Quieres hablar del libro nuevo o del viejo?Do you want to talk about the new book or the old one? |
⇒ Demonstrative adjectives may also used with this type of noun.
¿Ves esos perros? Aquel pequeño se llama Albus.See those dogs? The small one is called Albus. |
⇒ You can use adjectives as nouns with the neuter article lo to refer to general or abstract senses.
⇒ It's often translated into English as the ____ thing or what's where the blank is an adjective.
Lo bueno es que estamos juntos.The good thing is that we're together. |
Lo bonito de este edificio es el jardín que tiene en el techo.What's beautiful about this building is the garden on the roof. |
Lo mío es el cine.Movies are my thing. |