Buena maestra vs maestra buena

Question

Hello all,

Depending on if you put buena in front of the noun or after the noun it changes the meaning of the sentence.. Can someone explain what the difference is? Buena maestra vs maestra buena.

How would I say the following then: "She is a good teacher." "She is good at math and science."

Thank you in advance.

Good question. I had the same question for calling my old (small) dog "perrito viejo" or "viejo perrito." Sounds like some adjectives just go in a different place and it's up to us to remember which ones go where. :) - Findy, Apr 22, 2014

Answer 1

Es una buena profesora. Es una buena profesora de matemáticas y ciencias.

Thanks, Jack. That's good to know. :) - Findy, Apr 22, 2014

Thanks for your responses!!! Someone mentioned to me that adjective is in front it is considered an opinion and after is is considered a fact.. Can anyone validate this..? - Andrea8Colon, Apr 22, 2014

No Andrea, there is a slight difference in meaning, but it has nothing really to do with opinion. - Jack-OBrien, Apr 22, 2014

Answer 2

In Spanish, most of the times the adjective goes AFTER the noun. It is not incorrect to do it the other way, but it sounds more natural like that: Niño bonito, pelota roja, fiesta divertida, estudiante dedicado, etc.

The case of "bueno" and "buena" is a bit special. You can say "Ella es una buena maestra" or "Ella es una maestra buena", they are both ok. In this case, the first sentence is the one that sound more natural to me.

We use "buen" only BEFORE SINGULAR, MASCULINE nouns, like in: "Que tengas un buen día", "Él es un buen profesor" "Es un buen libro", etc. (But never: Es buen niñA) If you say "Es un profesor bueno", you can mean that he is good at teaching, but also that he is a good person, a kind person, etc.: that there is goodness in him. If you say "ella es buena maestra", we understand that she is good at being a teacher. If she is good at math and science, the only option is to say "Es buena con las matemáticas y la ciencia" or maybe with the preposition "en": "Es buena en matemáticas y en ciencia", or something similar.

Buenos días Nanaka. Me gusta mucho la forma de que explicas. Gracias. - britisk, Apr 23, 2014

Gracias! intento darme a entender lo más posible :) - NanakaTsípekua, Apr 23, 2014

Answer 3

I would say (Ella) Es una buena profesora. Generally speaking, adjectives follow the noun in Spanish but some (a few) precede them and in some cases the same adjectives can be used before and after with different meanings. You could say the above sentence the other way around but it would sound very strange to me and to native speakers, too. After hearing natives speaking their own language (correctly) over many years you learn to develop an ear and an instinct for how a language should sound when it is spoken well! Keep practising!

The term un maestro/una maestra is used in Spain to refer to teachers of younger children in primary schools. I believe that the correct term for teachers in secondary schools and colleges is un profesor/una profesora. I think this term also extends to University tutors, too!

I met a primary school teacher in Spain last year with his wife and daughter who were very friendly..

I hope this helps

Soy mexicana y en la universidad decidí llamar a todos los docentes "profesor/a" porque temí que, teniendo la mayoría de ellos un grado de Doctorado, se ofendieran si les decía "Maestros", ya que la maestría es un grado inferior al doctorado. - NanakaTsípekua, Apr 23, 2014

No sabía ese dato de los profesores en España, es muy interesante. - NanakaTsípekua, Apr 23, 2014