Plural nouns

[laepelba]

My workbook has a list of nouns that are "always plural". I'm not sure I understand a couple of them.

los gemelos - but what if you're talking about one person who has a twin. Like my nephews, Aaron & Will. If I'm talking about Aaron, I can say "Aaron is a twin". Why can't I say "Aaron es un gemelo"? I see that "gemelos" also means cuff links. But what if I lose one but not both cuff links. Couldn't I say "perdí un gemelo de una pareja"?

los lentes - I wear contact lenses. What if I wear in one contact lens (I have a friend who only wears one). Can I say "llevo un lente"? And doesn't "lente de aumento" also mean magnifying glass?

Hmmmm.....

[Rusty]

gemelo, -a = a twin (a cufflink)
los gemelos, -as = twins (cufflinks, binoculars)

lente = lens
lente de contacto = contact lens
lentes = lenses
lentes de contacto = contact lenses

The workbook is wrong about these nouns always being plural.

[laepelba]

Thanks, Rusty!

[JPablo]

And don't forget that "gemelos" refer as well to the calf muscles!

b (Anat) calf muscle

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by JPablo

And don't forget that "gemelos" refer as well to the calf muscles!

b (Anat) calf muscle

Doubtless because there are two side-by-side in each calf.

[JPablo]

Yup, like any normal Homo Sapiens has two eyebrows that are parallel, two nostrils, two ears, two "esternocleidomastoideos" (not sure how you say these in English), two deltoids, two arms, two legs, two... (ejem)... (You kind of get the Leonardo Da Vinci picture of the man in the circle...)

[Perikles]

yes, but you have four calf muscles

[JPablo]

That's right, you have four and I have four, so that makes eight!
So, this is not "gemelos" it is now "cuatrillizos"! (And I guess, "octillizos"!)

(Just kidding!)