un home bo / un bo home
Adjective Position and Meaning
A few adjectives change meaning with their place: unha amiga vella is an elderly friend, but unha vella amiga is a friend you have had for a long time.
How It Works
The general idea. Most adjectives go after the noun (see adjective position). With a few common ones, moving them before the noun changes the meaning: after the noun they describe a plain, checkable quality; before it they evaluate or take a figurative sense.
The main pairs
- vello: unha amiga vella (an elderly friend) / unha vella amiga (a friend of many years)
- novo: un director novo (a young director) / o novo director (the new director, the one just appointed)
- pobre: un home pobre (a poor man, with little money) / o pobre home (the poor man, someone you feel sorry for)
- grande: unha cidade grande (a big city) / unha gran cidade (a great, important city)
- bo: un home bo (a good man, kind and honest, as opposed to a bad one) / un bo home (a decent fellow, a warm, appreciative description)
Bo is the subtle one. After the noun, bo picks the person out by moral goodness: O avó era un home bo. Before the noun, it is a friendly overall judgement, and with jobs it usually means good at the job: É un bo zapateiro (he is a good shoemaker). Galician always keeps the full form bo; there is no short form like Spanish buen.
Gran or grande before the noun. In the singular, use gran before a consonant (unha gran cidade, un gran pintor) and grande before a vowel (un grande escritor). In the plural it is always grandes: grandes cidades.
Agreement never changes. Wherever it stands, the adjective agrees with the noun: unha vella amiga, uns vellos amigos (see adjective agreement).
Examples (6)
- Marta é unha vella amiga do colexio.
Marta is an old friend from school.
Before the noun, vella means long-standing, not elderly.
- Visitamos unha amiga vella que vive soa.
We visited an elderly friend who lives alone.
After the noun, vella simply means old in age.
- O novo director é moi novo.
The new director is very young.
Before the noun, novo means new in the post; after ser, it means young.
- O pobre home perdeu o tren outra vez.
The poor man missed the train again.
Pobre before the noun shows sympathy, not a lack of money.
- O avó era un home bo, sempre disposto a axudar.
Grandpa was a good man, always ready to help.
- Vigo é unha gran cidade.
Vigo is a great city.
Gran before a singular noun starting with a consonant.
Common Mistakes
Using the Spanish short form buen.
É un buen home.É un bo home.Galician keeps the full form bo before the noun; buen does not exist.
Using gran before a noun that starts with a vowel.
É un gran escritor.É un grande escritor.In the standard, gran goes before a consonant and grande before a vowel.
Putting vella after the noun when you mean a long-standing friend.
Marta é unha amiga vella do colexio.Marta é unha vella amiga do colexio.After the noun, vella means elderly. For a friend of many years, put vella first.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Moving some adjectives before the noun can change their interpretation.
Related Patterns
- Adjective Agreement
Adjectives agree with the noun wherever they stand.
Level 1 - este meu amigoCombining Determiners
Other words that stack in front of the noun, like demonstratives and possessives.
Level 4 - ben + AdjectiveBen as an Intensifier
Another way to strengthen an adjective's meaning.
Level 4 - -ísimoAbsolute Superlative -ísimo
Makes an adjective stronger with an ending instead of position.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice un home bo / un bo home in Bubblegum
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