Ask a Question

(Create a thread)
Go Back   Spanish language learning forums > Spanish & English Languages > Grammar


Order of adjectives

 

This is the place for questions about conjugations, verb tenses, adverbs, adjectives, word order, syntax and other grammar questions for English or Spanish.


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #21  
Old June 24, 2009, 05:00 AM
sosia's Avatar
sosia sosia is offline
Ankh-Morpork's citizen
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: a 55 cm del monitor
Posts: 2,984
Native Language: Spanish (Spain)
sosia has a spectacular aura aboutsosia has a spectacular aura about
__________________
History, contrary to popular theories, "is" kings and dates and battles.
Small Gods Terry Pratchett
Reply With Quote
   
Get rid of these ads by registering for a free Tomísimo account.
  #22  
Old May 21, 2010, 06:07 PM
laepelba's Avatar
laepelba laepelba is offline
Diamond
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Suburbs of Washington, DC (Northern Virginia)
Posts: 4,683
Native Language: American English (Northeastern US)
laepelba is on a distinguished road
Quote:
Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar View Post
—> Un pájaro con un plumaje negro azulado tornasol brillante.
(No commas here, because "azulado", "tornasol" and "brillante" modify another adjective, so they work together like one.)
- I don't understand the sentence structure here. I read this as "a bird with black and blue, bright iridescent plumage." But I don't see what you're saying about the commas ... and what other adjective do "tornasol" and "brillante" modify? I don't even know if I punctuated it correctly in English...

Just a couple of notes:

(Btw, colours tend to be placed right beside the substantive)


● Adjectives of which depends an essential characteristic of the substantive aren't separated from it:

—> Un disco flexible azul
- So, based on your statement just above, could this phrase be equally acceptable as "un azul disco flexible"?

● Sometimes, a substantive placed before an adjective charges the sentence with an ironic sense, but the context will provide the meaning:

—> "El famoso doctor no ha llegado" could either mean that a non-famous doctor has kept us waiting or that we're expecting a really famous one to arrive (to a conference, perhaps).
- This is the use of adjectives that I'm having difficulty wrapping my arms around. How is the sense of meaning different if we say "el doctor famoso no ha llegado" or if we say "el famoso doctor no ha llegado"? Just the sense of irony? But in other situations?
Thanks for pointing me out to this thread, Malila. I'm starting to wrap my arms around this topic. Hopefully I'll get some of these details worked out....
__________________
- Lou Ann, de Washington, DC, USA
Específicamente quiero recibir ayuda con el español de latinoamerica. ¡Muchísimas gracias!
Reply With Quote
  #23  
Old May 22, 2010, 07:42 PM
AngelicaDeAlquezar's Avatar
AngelicaDeAlquezar AngelicaDeAlquezar is offline
Obsidiana
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Mexico City
Posts: 9,093
Native Language: Mexican Spanish
AngelicaDeAlquezar is on a distinguished road
Quote:
Originally Posted by laepelba View Post
—> Un pájaro con un plumaje negro azulado tornasol brillante.
(No commas here, because "azulado", "tornasol" and "brillante" modify another adjective, so they work together like one.)
- I don't understand the sentence structure here. I read this as "a bird with black and blue, bright iridescent plumage." But I don't see what you're saying about the commas ... and what other adjective do "tornasol" and "brillante" modify? I don't even know if I punctuated it correctly in English...
The expression rather says "a bird with bright-iridiscent bluish-black plumage". "Bright", "iridiscent" and "bluish" modify "black". If the list of adjectives were modifying "plumage", commas would have been needed to emphasize each characteristic of the noun, like in "un pájaro verde, grande, ruidoso" (a noisy big green bird).


Quote:
Originally Posted by laepelba View Post
—> Un disco flexible azul
- So, based on your statement just above, could this phrase be equally acceptable as "un azul disco flexible"?
Not really. As I tried to state all over that post, it's a matter of priorities and emphasis. It would be really hard to imagine a situation in which the colour of a floppy disc should be stressed that much as to be placed before the noun (...in a poetic style maybe).
Btw, take into account that in this case, "flexible" marks an essential characteristic for the object you're talking about, so the couple noun-adjective ("disco flexible") works together as a noun, so "azul" is well placed after "flexible".


Quote:
Originally Posted by laepelba View Post
—> "El famoso doctor no ha llegado" could either mean that a non-famous doctor has kept us waiting or that we're expecting a really famous one to arrive (to a conference, perhaps).
- This is the use of adjectives that I'm having difficulty wrapping my arms around. How is the sense of meaning different if we say "el doctor famoso no ha llegado" or if we say "el famoso doctor no ha llegado"? Just the sense of irony? But in other situations?
As I said, most of the times only the context can tell.
"El famoso doctor no ha llegado" can have both meanings, but only the tone of voice, the character of the doctor and the situation will set it clear.
"El doctor famoso no ha llegado" could have a sarcastic charge, but the usual meaning is straightforward (that this actually famous doctor we are waiting for hasn't arrived yet).
__________________
Ain't it wonderful to be alive when the Rock'n'Roll plays...
Reply With Quote
  #24  
Old May 23, 2010, 12:03 PM
laepelba's Avatar
laepelba laepelba is offline
Diamond
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Suburbs of Washington, DC (Northern Virginia)
Posts: 4,683
Native Language: American English (Northeastern US)
laepelba is on a distinguished road
Thanks, Malila - I'll keep working on it..........
__________________
- Lou Ann, de Washington, DC, USA
Específicamente quiero recibir ayuda con el español de latinoamerica. ¡Muchísimas gracias!
Reply With Quote
  #25  
Old February 10, 2015, 12:30 AM
fglorca fglorca is offline
Emerald
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 583
fglorca is on a distinguished road
I just want to clarify a Spanish ‘word order’ issue:

• En Madrid hay muchos graves problemas sociales.
• En Madrid hay muchos problemas sociales graves.

I know ‘muchos’ always goes at the start, and I know ‘social problems’ forms a single idea, so rather than separating ‘problemas sociales’ is it correct to put ‘graves’ after ‘muchos and before ‘problemas sociales’? Is it also correct to put ‘graves’ at the very end of the sentence?

Many thanks in advance.
Reply With Quote
  #26  
Old February 10, 2015, 03:40 PM
Julvenzor's Avatar
Julvenzor Julvenzor is offline
Emerald
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Sevilla, España.
Posts: 716
Native Language: Español
Julvenzor is on a distinguished road
As other users explained, in Spanish there isn't a fixed rule. We prefer one form over the other, nothing else. What is our preference? Answer: no more than one adjective before a noun.

• En Madrid hay muchos graves problemas sociales. [Weird]
• En Madrid hay muchos problemas sociales graves. [Preferred]

A pleasure.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
adjective order, adjective pairing, adjectives, nouns, syntax, word order

 

Link to this thread
URL: 
HTML Link: 
BB Code: 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Site Rules

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Word order and verb endings ..sexyredhair..756 Grammar 10 November 11, 2008 02:36 PM
-ous ending adjectives Alfonso Grammar 1 April 04, 2008 03:43 PM
adjective noun order pogo Grammar 5 October 03, 2007 01:15 PM
shortening of the adjectives Randall Grammar 1 July 07, 2007 07:30 PM


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 12:51 PM.

Forum powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.

X