In Spanish, some adjectives get a little makeover when they’re placed right before a singular masculine noun. It’s called apocopation, and it means they lose their final vowel or even a whole syllable. This creates a smoother flow when speaking or writing.
Common Examples of Apocopated Adjectives
- Bueno → Buen
- Full form: Un día bueno (a good day)
- Apocopated: Un buen día (a good day)
- Malo → Mal
- Full form: Un momento malo (a bad moment)
- Apocopated: Un mal momento (a bad moment)
- Grande → Gran
- Full form: Un problema grande (a big problem)
- Apocopated: Un gran problema (a big problem)
- Santo → San (before male saints’ names, except Santo Domingo and Santo Tomás)
- Full form: Santo Antonio
- Apocopated: San Antonio (Saint Anthony)
- Primero → Primer
- Full form: El primero capítulo
- Apocopated: El primer capítulo (The first chapter)
- Tercero → Tercer
- Full form: El tercero piso
- Apocopated: El tercer piso (The third floor)
Rules and Usage
- Gender Matters: Apocopation only happens before singular masculine nouns.
- Un buen hombre (a good man)
- Una buena mujer (a good woman – no shortening here!)
- Singular Only: It’s just for singular nouns.
- Un buen libro (a good book)
- Unos buenos libros (some good books – no shortening in the plural)
- Placement is Key: The adjective must be right next to the noun.
- Un gran éxito (a great success)
- Un éxito grande (a great success – no shortening because of the word order)
- Exceptions Exist: Some adjectives have their own special shortening rules or don’t change at all.
- “Santo” becomes “San” before most male saints’ names, but stays “Santo” for Domingo and Tomás.
- “Ciento” becomes “cien” when it’s alone before a noun, but not in compound numbers
- Cien años (one hundred years)
- Ciento veinte años (one hundred and twenty years)
- No Shortening in Titles: Use the full form when the adjective is part of a name or title.
- El Bueno, el Feo y el Malo (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly)
- Comparatives Too: Some shortened forms show up in comparisons.
- Mejor (better) from “bueno”
- Peor (worse) from “malo”
Understanding and correctly using apocopation makes your Spanish sound more natural and fluent. It shows you’ve got a good handle on the little details of the language!