Apocopation of Adjectives in Spanish

APÓCOPE DE ADJETIVOS EN ESPAÑOL

In Spanish, some adjectives have a shortened form known as apocopation (apócope). This is when the last syllable of certain words is dropped. Below are some common apocopated adjectives:

* Algún and ningún carry an accent (tilde) because they are aguda words that end in “N.”

Note: Adjectives lose the “o” at the end when placed before a singular masculine noun. For example, un amigo (a male friend) versus una amiga (a female friend).

APOCOPATION WITH FEMININE ADJECTIVES: When used with feminine nouns, the full form of the adjective is retained:

GRAN VS. GRANDE: The adjective grande can be shortened to gran when it means “notable” or “great.” This apocopation is used before both masculine and feminine singular nouns:

Examples:  Él es un gran músico. (He is a great musician.)          Fue una gran idea. (It was a great idea.)

When grande refers to size, it stays in its full form and usually follows the noun:

Examples:  Vivo en una ciudad grande. (I live in a big city.)         Tiene un perro grande. (He has a big dog.)

Note: Grande does not apocopate when used in comparative forms.

• Ella es la más grande de la familia. (She is the biggest in the family.)

NUMBERS: Some numbers also undergo apocopation:

SAN VS. SANTO: Santo is shortened to San before most masculine names of saints:

• San Juan es conocido por su sabiduría. (Saint John is known for his wisdom.)
• Hoy celebramos el día de San Francisco. (Today we celebrate Saint Francis’s day.)

Exceptions: When the saint’s name starts with “Do-” or “To-,” Santo is not shortened:

• Santo Domingo es una ciudad famosa. (Santo Domingo is a famous city.)
• Celebramos el día de Santo Tomás. (We celebrate Saint Thomas’s day.)

BUEN VS. BUENO: The adjectives bueno (good) and malo (bad) are shortened when placed before a singular masculine noun:

• Es un buen lugar para estudiar. (It’s a good place to study.)
• Tuvo un mal sueño. (He had a bad dream.)

CUALQUIER OR CUALQUIERA: Cualquiera (any) is shortened to cualquier before a singular masculine noun. Before a singular feminine noun, either cualquier or cualquiera can be used:

• Cualquier niño puede aprender español. (Any boy can learn Spanish.)
• Cualquier niña puede participar. (Any girl can participate.)
• Cualquiera niña puede participar. (Any girl can participate. Common in some regions.)

APOCOPATION OF ADVERBS: Certain adverbs are shortened when placed before an adjective, another adverb, or a prepositional phrase: