Tag: grammar

Spanish and English generally do not create compound nouns in the same way. Examples of compound nouns in English include: open-heart, breakwater, basketball.  English features adjective + noun (blackboard), verb + noun (breakwater) or noun + noun (football) combinations. English also frequently hyphenates words. The Spanish language has few hyphenated words as generally they are only used in cases of adjective + adjective or noun + noun combinations in which both elements are of equal importance, as in relaciones sino-estadounidenses (Chinese-US relations).

To avoid the use of hyphens, Spanish often uses phrases in place of single words, such tigre que come hombres (man-eating tiger). For the majority of its translations for the equivalent of English compound nouns, Spanish relies on the preposition ‘de’ to function as a bridge between words, such as the following word for iceberg: la montaña de hielo (que flota en los mares del norte) =  the mountain of ice (that floats in the seas of the North).

Specially constructed compound nouns

An interesting subcategory of compound nouns in Spanish exists in which the third person singular of the present tense of the verb  is coupled with a plural noun. These nouns are nearly always masculine in gender and form the plural by simply changing the article. As in the word for can opener, singular: el abrelatas,  plural: los abrelatas. Some of these specially designed compounds are for items around the house, tools and parts of the car while others are more figurative and even humorous. Here is a sampling:

abrelatas — can opener (it opens cans)

calentalibros — bookworm (he/she warms books)

comecocos — something that confuses or brainwashes (it eats coconuts)

cuidaniños — babysitter (he/she cares for children)

cumpleaños — birthday (it fulfills years)

espantapájaros — scarecrow (it scares birds)

lavaplatos — dishwasher (it washes dishes)

matafuegos — fire extinguisher (it kills fires)

matasanos — medical quack (he/she kills healthy people)

parabrisas — windshield (it stops breezes)

parachoques — bumper (it stops crashes)

paraguas* — umbrella (it stops water) *the extra ‘a’ has been dropped

picapleitos — shyster lawyer (he/she encourages lawsuits)

quitamotas — flatterer (he/she removes defects)

quitasol — sunshade (it removes the sun)

rascacielos — skyscraper (it scratches skies)

rompecabezas — puzzle (it breaks heads)

salvavidas — lifeguard, various safety devices (it saves lives)

tragamonedas — slot machine, vending machine (it swallows coins)