Previous Index of A Spanish Reference Grammar Next

 

24 A SPANISH REFERENCE GRAMMAR ancho, de altura o de alto, de profundidad, de espesor, the box is a meter long, wide, high, deep, thick. 102.

  1. If the dimension is used as subject or object, a noun is commonly used: la longitud (la anchura) de la caja es de tres metros, the length (width) of the box is three meters; la altura de la montana es de 12.000 pies, the height of the mountain is 12,000 feet. 103.

  2. When the unit of dimension is used attributively, it is preceded by the preposition de: el camino es largo de tres millas, the road is three miles long; la montana es alta de 12.000 pies, the mountain is 12,000 feet high. See also 103 and 712. 104.

E. NUMERALS AS NOUNS. Fractions (quebrados o fracciones), decimals (fracciones decimales).

  1. 2 = un medio (la mitad); 1 = un tercio; = un cuarto ; 3 = un quinto ; 6 = un sexto ; = un septimo;   = un octavo (ochavo);

= un noveno; 0- = un dOcimo. 105. 9

  1. Beginning with J3--, the word parte may be used, thus: una tercera parte = -A--; las cinco sextas partes =   106.

  2. Beginning with 111 the fractionals end in -avo : un onzavo (onceavo) =   un dozavo

(doceavo) =   un trezavo (treceavo)

13

dos treinta y cincoavos A. 107.

AUGMENTATIVES AND DIMINUTIVES 25

  1. The numerator of a fraction is a cardinal: tres decimos = IV,. 108.

  2. Decimal fractions are decima, centesima, milesima, diezmilêsima, cienmilesima, millonesima, diezmillonesima, etc. They are read thus: 14,20453 = catorce unidades veinte mil cuatrocientas cincuenta y tres cienmilesimas. 109.

For numerals as adjectives, see 18o-189.

See also Tabla de los Niimeros cardinales y ordinales, page 188.

F. AUGMENTATIVES AND DIMINUTIVES (aumen-

tativos y diminutivos). These indicate not only size, but also affection, disdain, ridicule and other qualities. They are commonly used with nouns, but are also attached to adjectives, past participles, and adverbs. 110.

1. The commoner augmentative endings are -on, -ona ; -azo, -aza ; -ote, -ota; -ucho, -ucha ;

  • acho, -acha; -uco, -uca: mujerona, large woman; librazo, large book; palabrota, ugly word; casucha, hut; bastonazo, blow with a baston or stick. 111.

2. The common diminutives are -ito (-cito,

  • ecito, -ececito), -illo (-cillo, -ecillo, -ececillo), -ico (-cico, -ecico, -ececico), and -uelo (-zuelo,

  • ezuelo, -ecezuelo). 112.

3. Of these, -ito may be applied to nouns, adjectives, participles and adverbs: florecita,

Previous Index of A Spanish Reference Grammar Next