Compound Words
| Compound words in Spanish are formed by adding a verb root, an adjective or a preposition with a noun to form one word. Most of the time these are considered to be masculine words, although they can in rare instances be considered feminine if they specifically refer to a woman or girl. They do not change spelling when made plural although the article "el" would of course change to "los". These are some examples of compound words. | ||
| abrelatas | - | can opener |
| "abrir" (to open) & "latas" (cans) notice the "i" in abrir changes to "e" | ||
| buscapiés | - | firecracker |
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"buscar" (to search) & piés (feet) |
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| buscapersonas | - | pager |
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"buscar" (to search) & personas (persons) |
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| buscapleitos | - | troublemaker |
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"buscar" (to search) & "pleitos" (lawsuits) |
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| cortalápices | pencil sharperner | |
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"cortar" (to cut) & "lápiz" (pencil) note that the "z" becomes a "c" when made plural |
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| cuentagotas | medicine dropper | |
| "cuenta" (count) & "gotas" (drops) | ||
| cuentakilómetros | speedometer, odometer | |
| "cuenta" (count) & "kilometros" (kilometers) | ||
| cuentapasos | pedometer | |
| "cuenta" (count) & "pasos" (steps) | ||
| cuidaniños | babysitter | |
| "cuidar" (to care for, look after) & "niños" (children) | ||
| cumpleaños | birthday | |
| "cumplir" (to fulfill) & "años" (years) | ||
| escarbadientes | toothpick | |
| "escarbar" (to scratch) & "dientes" (teeth) | ||
| espantapájaros | scarecrow | |
| "espantar" (to scare or frighten) & "pájaros" (birds) (the word for crow is "cuervo") | ||
| guardarropas | clothes closet | |
| "guardar" (to keep) & "ropa" (clothes) | ||
| lavaplatos | dishwasher | |
| "lavar" (to wash) & "platos" (dishes) | ||
| lavavajillas | dishwasher | |
| "lavar" (to wash) & "vajilla" (dishes) | ||
| limpiaparabrisas | windshield wiper | |
| "limpiar" (to clean) & "parabrisas" (windshield) | ||
| matafuegos | fire extinguisher | |
| "matar" (to kill) & "fuego" (fire) | ||
| matamoscas | fly swatter | |
| "matar" (to kill) & "mosca" (fly) | ||
| matasellos | postmark | |
| "matar" (to kill) & "sello" (stamp) | ||
| pagaimpuestos | taxpayer | |
| "pagar" (to pay) & "impuesto" (tax) | ||
| paracaídas | parachute | |
| "parar" (to stop) & "caída" (fall) | ||
| parachoques | car bumper | |
| "parar" (to stop) & "choque" (crash or impact) | ||
| paraguas | umbrella | |
| "parar" (to stop) & "aqua" (water) | ||
| pesapersonas | scale (for weighing people) | |
| "pesar" (to weigh) & "persona" (people) | ||
| quitamanches | dry cleaner, stain remover | |
| "quitar" (to remove) & "mancha" (stain or spot) | ||
| rascacielos | skyscraper | |
| "rascar" (to scratch) & "cielo" (sky) | ||
| sacamuelas | dentist | |
| "sacar" (to take out) & "muela" (molar) | ||
| sacarpuntas | pencil sharpener | |
| "sacar" (to take out) & "punta" (tip or end) | ||
| saltamontes | grasshopper | |
| "saltar" (to jump) & "monte" (mountain) | ||
| tocadiscos | record player | |
| "tocar" (to play) & "disco" (disk or record) | ||
| trabalenguas | tongue twister | |
| "tragar" (to swallow) & "lengua" (tongue) - note the "g" in "tragar" changes to a "b" | ||
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If you want to see some Spanish "tongue twisters" click here |
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| tragamonedas | slot machine | |
| "tragar" (to swallow) & "moneda" (coin) | ||