Introduction
This
post is about the use of describing words/ adjectives in general, and
more specifically about the use of the
masculine/
plural form
of a describing word/ adjective.
SCENARIO
Imagine
you talking to a relative or a work colleague. You are talking about
family/ relatives. The other person doesn't know your parents and
says: "what
are your parents like?".
In Spanish, the
other person could choose to be less formal and say:
¿Cómo
son tus padres?
Alternatively, he/
she could choose to be a little bit more formal and say:
¿Cómo
son sus padres?
OUR
TIP
The
answer to this question is quite straightforward. You should pay
particular attention to noun-adjective agreement -see grammar notes
below*.
Perhaps
you want to describe your parents in the following terms:
- Age.
- Profession/ occupation.
- Nationality.
- Their appearance.
- Other characteristics
Here
are some sample replies:
- Mis padres son todavía jóvenes* (my parents are still young);
- Mis padres son ya bastante mayores* (my parents are already quite old);
- Mis padres están jubilados* (my parents are retired);
- Mis padres son maestros* (my parents are teachers);
- Mis padres son altos* y delgados* (my parents are tall and thin);
- Mis padres son muy guapos* (my parents are very good looking);
- Mis padres son mexicanos* (my parents are Mexican)
- Mis padres son bajos*, y un poco gordos* (my parents are short and a little fat);
- Mis padres llevan gafas (my parents wear glasses);
- Mis padres son inteligentes*, trabajadores* y simpáticos* (my parents are intelligent, hard working and pleasant/ likeable);
Notes
The word “padres” (plural) means fathers (more than one father).
However, the same word “padres” is also used to refer to parents (mother and father).
Now
you should practise answering the question:
¿Cómo
son tus padres?
*NB
See Grammar below
*Grammar-Adjectives
-
-
- GenderNumberAdjectivepadremasculinesingularaltopadresmasculine/mixedpluralaltosmadrefemininesingularaltamadresfemininepluralaltas
-
Noun-Adjective Agreement
See
notes below on Noun-Adjective agreement
Noun-Adjective
Agreement
In
Spanish describing words/ adjectives have to agree in gender and
number with the noun(s) they describe.
Adjectives
-Gender
Many
Spanish describing words/ adjectives have similar but different forms
for each of the two genders (for example, alto/
alta). A few, however
have one single form for both masculine and feminine (for example,
inteligente).
Thus
when you come to use a describing word to describe a person, you need
to check whether the corresponding Spanish describing word/ adjective
has:
- One single form to describe both a male and female persons (for example , inteligente)
- Two separate forms (for example, alto/ alta). If the describing word/ adjective has two separate forms, then you need to choose the form which matches the gender (masculine/ feminine) of the person to describe.
Adjectives
-Number
Spanish
describing words/ adjectives have also singular and plural* forms.
When referring to a single person, the singular form of describing
words/ adjectives must be used. When referring to more than one
person, the plural form of professions/ occupations words must be
used.
Furthermore,
when referring to more than one person who are not all females, the
masculine/ plural form of a describing word/ adjective
is used.
*NB
View posts with details about the plural of Spanish words here.
Adjectives
-Use
All
the practical examples in this post refer to more than one person,
padres (mother and father).
Consequently, they require the masculine/ plural
form of a describing word/ adjective, for example, jubilados.
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