Compound Nouns For Intermediate learners
What Are Compound Nouns?
Compound nouns (sustantivos compuestos) are single words made by joining two or more elements (usually nouns, verbs, or adjectives) to create a new meaning. In Spanish, most compound words form a single word, but less commonly, there might be a space between the two components.
Formation
Compound nouns can be made from different elements. Here are the most common types of compound noun composition in Spanish:
Verb + Noun
This is the most common process for making compound nouns in Spanish. These compound nouns are formed by combining a verb in the third-person singular present tense form with a noun in plural form that. The noun is usually the object of the verb. The two words are always used as one, without any space in between. The gender of this group of nouns is always masculine and the plural form is the same as the singular, with only the article reflecting the number. For example:
sacar (to remove) + punta (point) → el sacapuntas/los sacapuntas
pencil sharpener/pencil sharpeners
parar (stop) + agua (water) → el paraguas/los paraguas
umbrella/umbrellas
lavar (wash) + plato (plate) → el lavaplatos/los lavaplatos
dishwasher/dishwashers
abrar (open) + lata (can) → el abrelatas/los abrelatas
can opener/can openers
Noun + Noun
Sometimes two nouns are combined to form a single one where the second noun serves to specify the first one in terms of function, purpose, relation, etc. Most of these compounds form a single word while some others are used with a space. When there is a space between the two nouns, the plural is formed by making the first noun plural, but if there is no space between the two nouns, the plural is formed by adding "-s" or "-es" to the end of the compound word. Most commonly, the gender of the first noun determines the gender of the compound. Here are some examples:
tela + araña → la telaraña/las telarañas
web (feminine) + spider (feminine) → spiderweb(s) (feminine)
moto + carro → el motocarro/los motocarros
motorcycle (masculine) + car (masculine)→ three-wheeled vehicle(s) (masculine)
pez + espada → el pez espada/los peces espada
fish (masculine) + sword (feminine) → swordfish (masculine)
coche + cama → el coche cama/los coches cama
car (masculine) + bed (feminine) → sleeping car(s) (masculine)
hombre + rana → el hombre rana/los hombres rana
man (masculine) + frog (feminine) → diver(s) (masculine)
Noun + Adjective
In this structure, the adjective is added to a noun to specify a sub-type of it. Naturally, the noun determines the gender of the compound and the adjective follows the gender of the noun. If the compound is a single word, the plural mark comes at the end of the compound word, but if the two words are separated by a space (not very common), both words become plural.
campo + santo (holy) → el camposanto/los camposantos
field (masculine) + holy → cemetery(ies) (masculine)
pelo + roja → el pelirrojo/los pelirrojos
hair (masculine) + red → redhead(s) (masculine)
guerra + civil → la guerra civil/las guerras civiles
war (feminine) + civil → civil war (feminine)
Adjective + Noun
This is one of the less common structures. The adjective modifies the noun and, again, the gender of the noun determines the gender of the compound. For pluralization, the second element, which is the head noun, becomes plural and the adjective remains the same. For example:
medio + día → el mediodía/los mediodías
middle + day (masculine) → midday(s) (masculine)
media + noche → la medianoche/las medianoches
middle + night (feminine) → midnight (feminine)
baja + mar → la bajamar/las bajamares
low + sea (feminine) → low tide (feminine)
Tip!
Sometimes the gender of compound nouns does not follow the gender of their components. For example, "voz" is a feminine noun and the adjective "alta" follows its gender, but they form a compound noun that is masculine, because its meaning is not the sum of its parts; rather, it refers to a specific object.
alta (high) + voz (sound-feminine) → el altavoz (loudspeaker)
Preposition + Noun
This is another possible combination where the gender of the noun determines the gender of the compound and pluralization follows the general rules for making plural nouns. Here are some examples:
sobre + sueldo → el sobresueldo
over + salary (masculine) → bonus (masculine)
entre + acto → el entreacto
between + act (masculine) → intermission (masculine)
ante + ojo → el anteojo
before + eye (masculine) → telescope (masculine)
sobre + mesa → la sobremesa
over + table (feminine) → tablecloth (feminine)
Three-word compounds
Although less common, there are some compound nouns that are made of more than two words. For example:
limpiaparabrisas → limpia (verb) + parabrisas (compound noun → verb "para" + noun "brisas")
winshield wiper → wipe + windshield (stop + wind)
Quiz:
Empareja cada sustantivo compuesto con su tipo de formación.
Elige la oración correcta.
Compramos dos cajas fuerte para la oficina.
Compramos dos caja fuertes para la oficina.
Compramos dos cajas fuertes para la oficina.
Compramos dos cajafuertes para la oficina.
Completa la oración con la forma correcta de la palabra en el paréntesis.
En la costa vimos una
, y después vimos tres
.
(bajamar)
Elige la forma plural correcta para completar la frase:
"En la tienda venden varios ________ para limpiar la ropa."
quitamanchas
quitasmanchas
quitamanchases
quitanmanchas
Completa la tabla con las formas plurales correcto de las palabras.
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
cortometraje | |
guardacostas | |
antebrazo | |
ciudad dormitorio |
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