Here"s the Easy Way to Turn a Spanish Adjective Into a Noun
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In Spanish, almost any descriptive adjective (and a few others) can be used to function as a noun by preceding it with a definite article such as el or las.
Typically, adjectives made into nouns are the equivalent of the English "____ one" or "____ person" as in the following examples:
- azul (blue), el azul, la azul (the blue one)
- pobre (poor), los pobres (the poor people)
- nuevo (new), el nuevo, la nueva (the new one)
- mexicano (Mexican), el mexicano, la mexicana (the Mexican)
The gender and number will depend on what's being referred to:
- ¿Qué casa prefieres? —La blanca. ("Which house do you prefer?" "The white one.")
- HabÃa muchas fresas. Compré las más frescas. (There were many strawberries. I bought the freshest ones.)
- HabÃa muchos plátanos. Compré los más frescos. (There were many bananas. I bought the freshest ones.)
Sometimes, nouns made from adjectives take on meanings of their own, at least in certain contexts. The definitions below aren't the only ones possible:
- roto (torn), el roto (the tear)
- mal (bad), el mal (evil, wrongful act, sickness)
- perdido (lost), el perdido, la perdida (the reprobate, the lost soul)
- decolorante (causing something to lose its color), el decolorante (bleach)
- semejante (similar), los semejantes (fellow human beings)
The adjective-turned-noun is in the neuter gender when the adjective is turned into an abstract noun or when the adjective-turned-noun is not referring to a specific person or thing.
The singular neuter definite article is lo; in plural, the neuter is the same form as the masculine, with a definite article of los. Such neuter nouns are translated in a variety of ways, depending on the context:
- Fuera lo viejo, venga lo nuevo. (Out with the old, in with the new.)
- Lo importante es que tenemos la oportunidad. (The important thing is that we have the opportunity.)
- Los interesantes son los intangibles. (What are interesting are the intangibles.)
- Te regalo lo tuyo. (I am giving you what's yours.)