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; for example, abrelatas, altavoz, lavaplatos, etc. 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 usually functions as its object. 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:

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 delimit 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:

Example

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 something. 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.

Example

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:

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.

Example

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:

Example

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)