Unit 4: More present tense verbs and personal a

4.4 Adjectives Used as Nouns

It is very common for adjectives in Spanish to take the place of nouns. Study the following examples.

El viejo no está en el hospital. The old man is not in the hospital.
El joven asiste a la escuela. The young boy attends school.
La joven prepara la lección. The young girl prepares the lesson.
Los ciegos estudian en la universidad. The blind study at the university.

To write el hombre viejo, el muchacho joven, or las personas ciegas would normally be considered redundant. Although you may encounter it, it is much more common to see the noun omitted and the adjective used in its place.

 

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