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contable e incontable - sustantivos |
A number of nouns are countable (discontinuo) in Spanish and uncountable (continuo) in English.
1) Often these can be made countable by including expressions such as 'a bit of', 'a piece of', 'an item of', or a specific countable quantity; this is particularly common with materials, clothes and food items.
-Se trata de una información poco fiable — It's an unreliable piece of information
-Es un mueble muy viejo —It's a very old piece of furniture
-Dame un papel — Give me a sheet/piece of paper
-Se puede hacer con un cartón — It can be done with a piece of cardboard
-Vamos a unir estas dos maderas — We're going to join these two pieces/lengths of wood
-Hay que cubrirlo con un plástico — It needs to be covered with a piece/sheet of plastic
-Había varios cristales rotos —There were several broken panes of glass/ windows
-He comprado un pan alemán — I've bought a loaf/baguette of German bread
-¿Me pones una tostada con tomate?— Could I have a piece of toast with tomato?
-Le regalé un queso/ un jamón — I gave him a block/piece/wedge of cheese / a leg of ham
-Me compré un vaquero nuevo — I bought a new pair of jeans
-¿Me dejas un pijama? — Could you lend me a pair of pyjamas
2) Some nouns are generally left uncountable when translated into English.
-Es una buena noticia — It's good news
-Es un buen consejo — That's good advice
-Han hecho una investigación sobre ello — They have done research (a study) on it
-Es un comportamiento intolerable — That is unacceptable behaviour
-Nos quedamos en un alojamiento rural — We stayed in rural accommodation
-Busco un empleo — I'm seeking employment
3) Sometimes the noun is best translated into English using an alternative countable noun.
-Tengo un trabajo que hacer para mañana — I have an assignment/project/essay to do for tomorrow
-Es un dato interesante — It's an interesting fact/statistic
-Me dio un consejo muy útil — He gave me a really useful tip
-Fue una comida muy rica — It was a delicious meal
-Esto supone un gran progreso para la compañía — This is a great step forward for the company
-Oí un trueno — I heard a thunderclap
-Hiciste un buen negocio con la venta del coche — You did a good (business) deal with the sale of the car
-Es una mujer con abundantes carnes — She's an amply-proportioned woman
4) Similar to English, uncountable nouns may be used with the indefinite article when referring to the type or class of thing. This is more common in Spanish than in English.
-Esta es una leche muy buena — This is really good milk
-Es un queso muy fuerte— It's a strong cheese
-El arborio es un arroz muy cremoso — Arborio is a really creamy rice
5) Sometimes countable nouns can be expressed as if they were uncountable, and vice versa. This is common in colloquial Spanish, where the speaker may wish to emphasize the quantity of something rather than number, or vice versa. [Read more]
-Eso es mucha moto para un principiante — That's whole lot of bike for a beginner
-¿Por qué tanta llamada? — Why so many calls / Why are you calling so much?
-Te voy a dar un dinero para ir tirando — I'm going to give you some money so you can get by
In La Prensa
El pasado viernes, la Comisión Europea constató que se había logrado un progreso suficiente en la primera fase de las conversaciones sobre el "brexit", eldiario.es-12 dic. 2017
Ya conocemos las campañas en las que se busca el apoyo de todos los ciudadanos por el hecho de consumir en sus hogares un agua muy cara. eldiario.es-2 dic. 2017
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-sustantivos contables en español pero incontables en inglés-
