10.6 Stem changes and spelling changes. Flash Card "We read the new novel" Leímos la nueva novela" Why is the adjective appear before the noun. I thought in this case as in most cases the adjective comes after the noun noun: "Leímos la novela nueva".
10.6 Stem Changes and Spelling Changes
Spanish51
October 6, 2020
Liss-Rocket-Languages-Tutor
October 8, 2020
¡Hola Spanish51!
Thank you for your question!
Indeed, most of the time adjectives come after the noun in Spanish. When this happens, they are giving an ordinary description of the noun - that is, they are describing what sets it apart from other nouns.
It is also possible, however, for adjectives to come after the noun. When that happens, their meaning is altered slightly; often, they sound more emphasized or more personal. There are also situations where their meaning can change more drastically - you can find a more in-depth description on what effect adjective placement has on meaning in Lesson 3.8: Adjective Tricks and Placement.
So in the sentence Leímos la nueva novela, the fact that nueva is before novela makes the "newness" sound more personal (i.e. as though it is new to the speaker). Since people commonly speak of newness from their own perspective, this is a placement that you are likely to see fairly often.
Nonetheless, it would also be perfectly correct to say Leímos la novela nueva; in this case, it would simply mean that the book is new in general (e.g. newly published or newly written).
I hope that this is helpful! Do let me know if you have any more questions.
Saludos,
Liss
Thank you for your question!
Indeed, most of the time adjectives come after the noun in Spanish. When this happens, they are giving an ordinary description of the noun - that is, they are describing what sets it apart from other nouns.
It is also possible, however, for adjectives to come after the noun. When that happens, their meaning is altered slightly; often, they sound more emphasized or more personal. There are also situations where their meaning can change more drastically - you can find a more in-depth description on what effect adjective placement has on meaning in Lesson 3.8: Adjective Tricks and Placement.
So in the sentence Leímos la nueva novela, the fact that nueva is before novela makes the "newness" sound more personal (i.e. as though it is new to the speaker). Since people commonly speak of newness from their own perspective, this is a placement that you are likely to see fairly often.
Nonetheless, it would also be perfectly correct to say Leímos la novela nueva; in this case, it would simply mean that the book is new in general (e.g. newly published or newly written).
I hope that this is helpful! Do let me know if you have any more questions.
Saludos,
Liss