El Adjetivo Especificativo y el Adjetivo Explicativo
Adjectives can complement a noun by following or preceding it.Adjective placed before the noun
- when the adjective is placed before the noun, it explains the characteristics of this noun, by only adding information about it.Se quedó anonadado mirando la verde hierba.
He was appalled watching the green grass.
- there is adjectives that describe an inherent quality of the noun.
Las montañas estaban cubiertas de blanca nieve.
The mountains were covered by white snow (snow is always white).
Adjective placed after the noun
- when the adjective is placed after the noun, it specifies the characteristics of this noun.Quiero un coche azul.
I want a blue car. (not red, not yellow, but blue)
- there are adjectives that are always placed after a noun. These are:
-- relational adjectives which are adjectives that express a relationship between the noun and the adjective. They usually derive from a noun i.e. social (noun) - sociales (adj.), or policía (noun) - policial (adj.).
El presidente ha centrado su política en las causas sociales.
The president has focused its politics on social matters.
-- gentilicios which are adjectives that describe the name given to the people from a particular region or country.
Renoir es uno de los más célebres pintores franceses.
Renoir is one of the most famous French painters.
- if an adjective is placed after the noun but it is in between commas, it explains the characteristics of the noun. Contrast the following examples.
El chico simpatico se acercó a mí.
The kind guy approached to me.
El chico, simpatico, se acercó a mí.
The guy, who was kind, approached to me.
Adjectives that change their meaning depending if they are placed before or after
Pobre - un pobre hombre (desgraciado) vs. un hombre pobre (sin dinero)¡Pobre hombre! Todas las desgracias le pasan a él.
Poor man! All the bad things happen to him.
Perdió todo su dinero en el casino y ahora es un hombre pobre.
He lost all his money in the casino and now he's poor.
Simple - un simple soldado (sin graduación) vs. un soldado simple (tonto)
Ahora él es un simple soldado pero en unos meses le harán capitán.
Now he's just a soldier but in a few months he will become captain.
El soldado García es un soldado muy simple. No nos sirve para la batalla.
Soldier Garcia is a bad soldier. He's not ready for a battle.
Cierta - cierta cosa (alguna cosa) vs. cosa cierta (cosa verdadera)
Me he enterado de cierta cosa que no me gustó nada.
I've learned something that I didn't like.
Ella sólo dice cosas que son ciertas. ¿Por qué iba a mentirnos?
She only says the truth. Why would she lie to us?
Gran - un gran hombre (que destaca) vs. un hombre grande (tamaño)
Gandhi fue un gran hombre y por eso se le recordará en la historia.
Gandhi was a great man, that's why he will be remembered through history.
¿Has visto que hombre tan grande? Por lo menos mide dos metros y medio.
Did you see that big man? He's at least 7 feet tall.
Nuevo - un nuevo coche (otro coche) vs. un coche nuevo (sin usar)
Quiero añadir un nuevo coche a mi colección de Ferraris.
I want to add a new car to my Ferrari colection.
Estoy pensando en comprarme un coche Nuevo porque el mío está ya muy viejo.
I'm thinking about buying a new car because mine is getting old.