Modern Spanish Grammar: A Practical Guide

• Many ‘modern’ colour terms (e.g. rosa‘pink’, malva‘mauve’) and colour
  adjectives modified by claro‘bright’ and oscuro‘dark’ (e.g. libros azul claro
  ‘bright blue books’).


• Macho‘male’ and hembra‘female’.


• Nouns used adjectivally in fixed expressions: horas punta‘rush hours’, preguntas
  clave‘key questions’, horas extra‘overtime’.

2.7 The neuter

A ‘neuter’ gender is traditionally distinguished in Spanish, though no noun belongs to

this category. The definite article (and arguably the personal pronouns),

demonstratives, possessives and relatives have distinct ‘neuter’ forms:

Neuter elements refer to propositions, facts or general ideas expressible as sentences,

never to specific nouns:

Lo suspendieron en matemáticas.

He/she failed maths.

Eso me extraña.

That (i.e. the fact that he/she failed maths) surprises me.

but:

Ésta es mi idea.

This (i.e. the idea) is my idea.

Entonces empezó a Ilorar, lo que me sorprendió bastante.

Then he/she began to cry, which (i.e. the fact that he/she began to cry)

surprised me greatly.

but:

Entonces nos propuso otra teoría, con la que no estaba de acuerdo.

Then he/she proposed another theory to us, with which (i.e. the theory)

I did not agree.

Sólo me ocupo de lo mío.

I bother only about things that concern me. (general idea)

but:

Sólo me ocupo del mío.

I bother only about mine. (e.g. a book)

Definite article lo

Personal pronoun ello,lo

Demonstratives esto,eso,aquello

Possessives lo mío,lo tuyo,lo suyo,lo nuestro, lo vuestro

Relatives lo cual,lo que

GENDER AND GENDER AGREEMENTS 2.7