Spanish Blunders

Question

He comprado una libro de los errores español(de los gentes quien lo aprenden por idioma/lingua segundo).

Aquí es uno que pienso es bien para saber.

While English nouns can function like adjectives when placed before other nouns, Spanish nouns must be preceded by a preposition in order to modify another noun.

Un libro de español - a spanish book *

Una mesa de vidrio - a glass table

Una bolsa de papel - a paper bag

Una casa de adobe - an adobe house

*Un libro de español is a book for learning Spanish. Un libro español is a book written, manufactured, or published in Spain.

I always wondered why some nouns had the "de" in them with other words instead of just the word. And so now I know. And now so do you if you didn't before.

I know I was taught this before, but I guess since it was always included with prepositions instead of adjectives or nouns it never stuck. Well, buena suerte con todo lo que haces!

thanks for sharing, fred - 00494d19, Sep 2, 2009

Answer 1

Thanks, Fred...this is good information! Sounds like an interesting book you've got there.

I just bought "Breaking Out of Beginners Spanish" by Joseph J. Keenan. It's great for tips on which verbs are important to master and for using Spanish more fluently and a bit more colloquially. It's a fun read.

Yes - that's an essential book, Marianne. My personal favouite. - patch, Sep 2, 2009

Wow, I'll have to see about purchasing that book. The title of my book is "correct your spanish blunders(how to Avoid 99% of the Common Mistakes Made by Learners of Spanish)" by Jean Yates. - Fredbong, Sep 2, 2009

Answer 2

Delete: repeated

Answer 3

While English nouns can function like adjectives when placed before other nouns, Spanish nouns must be preceded by a preposition in order to modify another noun.

This is a rule that I keep repeating all the time, but people keep ignoring it. However, there are a few cases where you can put two nouns together without a preposition:

• when one noun is the name of the other, as in "río Amazonas".
• with colours: color café, color piedra,...
• certain fixed terms like hombre rana, cartón piedra,... (not many)

Thanks Lazarus...that was an interesting addendum to the discussion, and I am sure that by the fourth or fifth time that you remind me of it, it might start to sink in ;-) - Izanoni1, Sep 2, 2009