una nueva sonrisa

Question

Hi everyone,

Would you say una nueva sonrisa or una sonrisa nueva?

Thanks!

Hmmm, methinks "object" then "adjective"...no? :) - cristalino, Jul 26, 2011

Answer 1

It can be said both ways. It depends on what you are trying to convey.

Reinforcing adjectives: Adjectives that reinforce the meaning of the noun, such as adjectives that "go with" the accompanying noun, often are placed before the noun. In many cases, one might also say that the purpose of these adjectives is less for describing the noun that's modified and more for conveying some sort of an emotion to it.

Examples: Una oscura noche, a dark night; el horrible monstruo, the horrible monster; la alta montaña, the high mountain; la blanca nieve, the white snow.

• Source

Hola G, we said similar things at the same time! - Jeremias, Jul 26, 2011

:-D - gintar77, Jul 26, 2011

Answer 2

I believe you can do either. There could be a slight change in meaning as well:

Nueva sonrisa, a new smile

Sonrisa nueva, a fresh smile.

Except that nueva isn't a very good example of this change in meaning based on position, and my example may not even be true.

But it is true that

Mi amigo viejo = my elderly friend

Mi viejo amigo = my old friend (that I've had for many years)