Learning Spanish - Adjective Placement
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In Spanish, adjectives usually follow the noun. But there are some adjectives that precede the noun. In these cases, it changes the meaning of the adjective.
This article from spanishdict explains it and I’ve paraphrased it here to assist in my understanding.
Possessive and Demonstrative Adjective
A possessive adjective are words like mi, tu, su. In English, these would be mine, yours, and theirs.
Possessive adjectives come before the subject. Because this is identical to English, students don’t usually have trouble with this.
Demonstrative adjectives are words like this and that: eso y esto.
Limiting Adjectives
Limiting adjectives are quantifiers. Counts, uncountable, or qualitative comparators are examples:
- alguno (some)
- demasiado (too much)
- poco (little)
- menos (less)
- unos (some)
All number counts are limiting adjectives.
Essential Qualities
Descriptive adjectives that emphasize a crucial quality of a noun will have the adjective precede the noun. El valiente hombre is the valiant man.
This is newer to me and I hope to learn this through reading more.
Meaning-Change Adjective
When an adjective follows the noun, it should be viewed with an objective meaning. El carro nuevo is a car that is brand-new. It can also be a new model year car.
When the adjective precedes the noun, one must take a more subjective perspective. El nuevo carro is a car that is new to you. That is, you recently bought the car but it could a used car.
This is a tricky concept but I feel you will learn and get the hang of it through exposure. Here are some examples to reinforce that.
| Precede | Meaning | Follow | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| alto estudiante | top student | estudiante alto | tall student |
| bajo reloj | cheap watch | hombre bajo | short man |
| diferente vinos | various wines | vinos diferentes | different wines |
| nuevo negocio | opened a new bakery | negocio nuevo | new business or startup |
| viejo amigo | old buddy | amigo viejo | elderly friend |
https://www.thoughtco.com/placement-of-some-adjectives-can-affect-their-meaning-3079080