Modern Spanish Grammar: A Practical Guide

(lily) #1

  • 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

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