Apócope
Learn the rules of apocope (shortening adjectives) in Spanish before singular nouns, including gran, buen, primer, and saint names.
Apócope en Español
Apócope is the grammatical term for dropping one or more sounds at the end of a word. In Spanish, several common adjectives shorten when they are placed directly before singular nouns. Master these guidelines to write and speak naturally.
1. Before Masculine Singular Nouns Only
✨ Bueno & Malo
Bueno becomes buen and malo becomes mal only before a singular masculine noun.
"Es un buen amigo." (He is a good friend).
"Hoy es un mal día." (Today is a bad day).
🔢 Primero & Tercero
Ordinal numbers primero becomes primer, and tercero becomes tercer before singular masculine nouns.
"Vivo en el primer piso." (I live on the first floor).
"Es el tercer aviso." (It's the third warning).
🔍 Alguno & Ninguno
Alguno becomes algún (needs accent), and ninguno becomes ningún (needs accent) before singular masculine nouns.
"¿Tienes algún libro?" (Do you have any book?).
"No tengo ningún problema." (I have no problem).
2. Before Both Masculine & Feminine Singular Nouns
🌟 Grande -> Gran
Grande becomes gran before any singular noun (masculine or feminine). It also changes meaning from "size" to "greatness/importance".
"Una gran mujer." (A great woman).
"Un edificio grande." (A large building - no apocope since it goes after).
♾️ Cualquiera -> Cualquier
Cualquiera becomes cualquier before any singular noun.
"Cualquier persona sabe eso." (Any person knows that).
"Cómprame un libro cualquiera." (Buy me just any book - no apocope after).
💯 Ciento -> Cien
Ciento becomes cien before any noun, plural nouns, or before numbers like mil or millón.
"Cien euros." (One hundred euros).
"Ciento cincuenta." (150 - no apocope here).
3. Special Rules & Summary
⛪ Santo -> San
Santo becomes San before most masculine names of saints.
Exception: Keep Santo if the saint's name starts with Do- or To-.
"San Francisco." / "San José."
"Santo Domingo." / "Santo Tomás."
Summary Chart:
| Full Adjective | Apocopated Form | Condition | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bueno | Buen | Before masc. sing. nouns | Un buen coche. (A good car) |
| Malo | Mal | Before masc. sing. nouns | Un mal momento. (A bad moment) |
| Primero | Primer | Before masc. sing. nouns | El primer día. (The first day) |
| Tercero | Tercer | Before masc. sing. nouns | El tercer piso. (The third floor) |
| Alguno | Algún | Before masc. sing. nouns | Algún amigo. (Some friend) |
| Ninguno | Ningún | Before masc. sing. nouns | Ningún coche. (No car) |
| Grande | Gran | Before any sing. noun | Una gran idea. (A great idea) |
| Cualquiera | Cualquier | Before any sing. noun | Cualquier día. (Any day) |
| Ciento | Cien | Before nouns or multipliers | Cien dólares. (100 dollars) |
| Santo | San | Before masc. saint names (not starting with Do/To) | San Antonio. (Saint Anthony) |
Ponte a Prueba
Reto 1: Selecciona la Forma Correcta
Puntuación: 0/10Choose the correct form of the adjective (apocopated or full form) depending on its position and noun gender/number.
Reto 2: ¿Correcto o Incorrecto?
Puntuación: 0/8Contenido Exclusivo Premium
Unlock this practical quiz to test your mastery of apocope in common contexts.
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