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viven felices / felizmente - el complemento predicativo |
In Spanish, the verb can be followed by an adjective that modifies both the verb and the subject; this is known as the complemento predicativo .
«Denominamos ‘complementos predicativos’ a aquellos constituyentes que modifican simultáneamente al predicado verbal y a un sintagma nominal de la misma oración (típicamente, al sujeto y al objeto directo sintáctico), con cuyo núcleo concuerdan en género y número». GDLE
«Por ejemplo, si decimos: «El niño está alegre», 'alegre' es evidentemente un atributo; si decimos por el contrario: «El niño pasea alegremente», 'alegremente' es un complemento circunstancial de modo. Sin embargo, si decimos: «El niño pasea alegre» ¿qué es 'alegre'? En esta oración estamos queriendo decir dos cosas:
En «el niño pasea alegre» el c. predicativo (alegre) determina tanto al verbo predicativo (pasea) como al nombre (niño), siendo atributo con elipsis de verbo copulativo del sujeto (el niño "es / está / parece" alegre) y complemento circunstancial a la vez del verbo (pasea de modo "alegre" o "alegremente")».2
In English only certain verbs allow this kind of construction, namely the linking verbs (to appear, to be, to become, to feel, to look, to seem, to smell, to sound, to taste, to turn, to grow, to get, to go, to remain, to stay).
So we can say "he seemed happy" or "she remained attentive", but we don't normally say "he lives happy" or "she listened attentive".2-3
-Salió contenta del examen — She came out of the exam in a good mood
-Me miró atento — He looked at me attentively
-Viven felices — They live happily / a happy life
-Entró triste — He was sad when he went in
-Los pasajeros esperaron callados — The passengers waited quietly
-La chica llegó radiante — The girl had a healthy glow about her when she arrived
-Cifuentes reaccionó enfurecida — Cifuentes reacted furiously
Additionally, a limited number of adjectives can also perform the function of adverbs (adverbios adjetivales), similar to some English adjectives, e.g. 'I bought it cheap', 'the plane is flying low'.4
In some cases you can alternate between the use of the adverb and adjective, with little difference in meaning (made clear by the adjective agreement). Sometimes the adverb is not possible —such as the case of barato when there is also a direct object; sometimes the adjective is not possible —where the the verb is being modified, not the subject/object.3-4
-Las golondrinas vuelan bajas / bajo — Swallows fly low
-Los alpinistas caminaban lentos/lento — The climbers walked slow(ly)
-Las espinacas saben raras / raro — (The) spinach tastes funny
-La comida huele distinta / distinto — The food smells different [Adverb applied to the verb 'oler', or adjective applied to the subject 'comida']
-Pensamos distintos /distinto — We think differently [Adverb applied to the verb 'pensar'; we are not different, only our way of thinking –see distinto adverb]
-Entró cauteloso / cautelosamente — He entered cautiously [The adverb 'cautelosamente' suggests he entered in this way, whereas the adjective 'cauteloso' tells us his disposition upon entering rather than the way in which he entered]
-Pagaba puntual / puntualmente la renta — He paid the rent on time
-Viven felices / felizmente — They live a happy life / happily
-*La chica juega limpio/limpiamente todas las partidas
→La chica juega limpia todas las partidas [In this example, using the adjective would change the meaning from 'playing fairly/cleanly' to 'being clean while she plays']
The complemento predicativo can also modify the direct object. English and Spanish are more similar in this respect: 'La considero inteligente' - 'I consider her intelligent'; 'Me haces feliz' - 'You make me happy'.
There are, however, a number of constructions that cannot be translated directly, e.g. 'Te creía muerta' - 'I thought you dead'??, 'Te veo cansado' - 'I see you tired'??, etc.5
-Dejé a mi hijo enfermo en casa — I left my son at home ill
-Te veo cansado — You look tired
-Te creía muerta — I thought you were dead
-Te hacía más vieja — I thought you were older
-Las compré baratas — I bought them cheap
→-Las compré barato (Nunca he comprado tan barato) — I've never spent so little shopping
Unlike English, the complemento predicativo often goes before the direct object.
-Los ladrones pusieron patas arriba el despacho / pusieron el despacho patas arriba — The thieves turned the office upside down [In English, the object complement usually follows the noun; in Spanish both positions are often possible]
-Eso vuelve loco a cualquiera — That'll drive anyone crazy
-Hizo pedazos la mesa — She smashed the table
-La explosión dejó heridas a cuatro personas — The explosion left four people injured
As discussed previously, the complemento predicativo can also be a verb in infinitive.
-Vi llegar a Juan — I saw Juan arrive
-Le oí cantar — I heard him sing
-Hizo llorar a la niña — He made the girl cry
Modifying the indirect object
Al paciente le extirparon el quiste anestesiado — They took out the patient's cyst under anaesthetic
En La Prensa
El bigoleador del Real Zaragoza se marchó contento. Él necesitaba los goles y el equipo, la victoria. El Periódico de Aragón-Dec 11, 2016
En la sala escuchan atentos la decena de personas con discapacidad intelectual que, a través de sus recuerdos, protagonizan el evento junto a sus familiares y los profesionales del centro. El Mundo-Mar 5, 2017
Se puso en guardia, pero resultó ser un policía que le miraba extrañado: "¿Qué diablos haces aquí? La Opinión A Coruña-Oct 30, 2016
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-viven felices / felizmente - complemento predicativo-
