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"Los acentos" is a form of "acento", a noun which is often translated as "accent". "Imperativos" is a form of "imperativo", a noun which is often translated as "imperative". Learn more about the difference between "los acentos" and "imperativos" below.
el acento(
ah
-
sehn
-
toh
)A masculine noun is used with masculine articles and adjectives (e.g., el hombre guapo, el sol amarillo).
1. (intonation)
a. accent
Misha habla español con un acento ruso pronunciado.Misha speaks Spanish with a pronounced Russian accent.
2. (importance)
a. accent
¿Se escribe así? - No, no lleva acento.Do you spell it like that? - No, it doesn't have an accent on it.
b. stress
¿Dije bien tu nombre? - No, el acento cae en la primera sílaba.Did I pronounce your name right? - No, the stress falls on the first syllable.
c. emphasis
Si cambias el acento, cambias el significado de la palabra.If you change the emphasis, you change the meaning of the word.
el imperativo(
eem
-
peh
-
rah
-
tee
-
boh
)A masculine noun is used with masculine articles and adjectives (e.g., el hombre guapo, el sol amarillo).
1. (need)
a. imperative
Acabar con la corrupción es un imperativo político en este país.To bring an end to corruption is a political imperative in this country.
2. (grammar)
a. imperative
Hay que usar el imperativo cuando quieres dar una orden.You must use the imperative when you want to give an order.
An adjective is a word that describes a noun (e.g., the big dog).
3. (imposing)
a. commanding
El publicista decidió incluir en el anuncio una llamada a la acción con tono imperativo.The publicist decided to include a call to action with a commanding tone in the advertisement.
4. (necessary)
a. imperative
Es imperativo reducir el número de alumnos en cada clase.It's imperative that we reduce the number of students in each class.
5. (grammar)
a. imperative
La semana pasada aprendimos el modo imperativo para situaciones informales.Last week we learned the imperative mood for informal situations.
