Spanish: An Essential Grammar

puro oro puro pure gold por pura by sheer

casualidad chance

simple una idea a simple idea un simple a mere

simple periodista journalist

único la única the only una mujer a unique

mujer woman única woman

viejo un colega an old un viejo a long-standing

viejo colleague colega colleague

With the adjectives buenoand malo, placement before the noun is more

common unless the meaning is ‘good’/‘bad’ in the moral sense:

una buena a good un niño malo a bad boy

memoria memory

With grande and alto, placement before the noun is more common when

an abstract sense is intended:

una gran cantidad a large amount una casa a big house

grande

un alto cargo a senior official una montañaa high

alta mountain

Translating English ‘un-’ + adjective

The English prefix ‘un-’ negates the adjective to which it is applied:

compare ‘friendly’ with its opposite ‘unfriendly’. Spanish does not have a

comparable prefix and so ‘un-’ is translated in a variety of ways, as follows:

(a) See 9.5.2 for the use of poco‘little’.

(b) See 17.2.5.1 for the use of sin‘without’ + infinitive.

(c) See 24.1.2 for the use of noto negate an adjective.

(d) See 29.2.3 for the prefixes in-, im-, ir-.

6.5

6.4.2.4

6.4.2.3

1111

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

1011

1

12111

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

20111

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

30111

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

40

41111

Translating

English ‘un’ +

adjective

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