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 demonstrative adjectives -demostrativos.
SCENARIO
Imagine
you talking to a relative or a work colleague about family/
relatives. Looking at a picture, the other person who doesn't know
your family says: "are
those people your parents?".
In Spanish, the
other person could choose to be less formal and say:
¿Esos
señores son tus padres?
Alternatively, he/
she could choose to be a little bit more formal and say:
¿Esos
señores 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*.
Here
are some sample replies:
- Sí, esos* señores son mis padres (yes, those people are my parents);
- No, esos* señores no son mis padres (no, those people are not my parents);
- No, esos* señores son unos amigos de mis padres (no, those people are friends of my parents);
Now
you should practise answering the question:
¿Esos
señores son tus padres?
*NB
See Grammar below
*Grammar-Adjectives
- GenderNumberAdjectiveseñormasculinesingulareseseñoresmasculine/mixedpluralesosseñorafemininesingularesaseñorasfemininepluralesas
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 two forms:
- A masculine gender form (for example, alto)
- A similar, but different feminine gender (for example, alta).
A
few Spanish describing words/ adjectives have one single form for
both masculine and feminine (for example, inteligente).
Every
time you use a describing word which has two separate forms (for
example, alto/ alta), you need to choose the form which
matches the gender (masculine/ feminine) what you are
describing.
Adjectives
-Number
In
contrast with English, Spanish describing words/ adjectives have also
plural* forms. Every time you use a describing word with a
plural noun (for example, señores), you must use the plural
form of the corresponding describing word/ adjective (for example,
esos).
You
should use the masculine/ plural form of a describing
word/ adjective when it describes multiple persons/ things of
different grammatical genders.
*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,
señores (gentlemen/ ladies
and gentlemen). Consequently, they require the masculine/
plural form of a describing word/ adjective, for example,
esos.
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