{"id":142890,"date":"2023-07-09T11:00:07","date_gmt":"2023-07-09T15:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/apocopation-spanish\/"},"modified":"2025-02-17T11:22:45","modified_gmt":"2025-02-17T16:22:45","slug":"apocopation-spanish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/apocopation-spanish\/","title":{"rendered":"Apocopation in Spanish: 15 Shortened Words You Should Know"},"content":{"rendered":"

Apocopation<\/strong> is when words have their endings cut off so that they’re shorter and quicker to say.\u00a0In both Spanish and English, many of the words you use in your everyday conversations<\/a> are apocopated.<\/p>\n

So let’s put some words on the chopping block and explore apocopation in Spanish. In this post, we’ll talk about how apocopation works and show off 15 common examples of Spanish apocopation.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What is Apocopation?<\/h2>\n

Apocopation is the shortening of a word. <\/strong>More specifically, the word loses its final letter or letters in order to give us a shorter version of itself with either the same meaning or a very similar one.<\/p>\n

This can happen when someone is using slang or informal speech<\/a>, like the Spanish boli \u2014<\/em>\u00a0short for bol\u00edgrafo <\/em>(pen), but also for grammatical reasons.<\/p>\n

Almost every language has some form of apocopation, with English having hundreds of shortened words<\/a> people use every single day.\u00a0For example, we say “abs” instead of abdominal muscles and “bras” instead of brassieres.\u00a0Apocopation is used a lot in English, and often the shorter word even becomes the most correct term to use in most cases.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Compared to English, Spanish doesn’t have nearly so many shortened words to remember, but the rules around them work a bit differently. Unlike with English, here are two different types of word shortenings found in Spanish: colloquial shortenings <\/strong>and grammatical ones.<\/strong><\/p>\n

While Spanish certainly shortens words colloquially (like el zoo<\/em> in place of\u00a0el zool\u00f3gico<\/em>), there are certain words in Spanish that have to be shortened in certain grammatical<\/strong> situations.<\/p>\n

Some words lose their final -o <\/em>because they are followed by a masculine noun, like when\u00a0primero <\/em>(first) becomes primer. <\/em>Other words are shortened depending on their function in a sentence or the word that follows them.<\/p>\n

The list of words below are all apocopated for grammatical reasons. When an apocopation is grammatical, its use is required and not optional.<\/p>\n

Common Examples of Apocopation in Spanish<\/h2>\n

1. Uno<\/em> \/ Un<\/em><\/h3>\n

Most of you probably know the word uno <\/em>(one) from learning the numbers in Spanish<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You probably also know un <\/em>from learning the Spanish articles<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But has anyone ever told you that un <\/em>is actually the shortening of uno<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Use uno: <\/em><\/strong>You use the full form of uno <\/em>when it is representing either a numeral or a pronoun.<\/a> For example:<\/p>\n

Dile que necesito uno. <\/strong><\/em>(Tell him I need one.)<\/p>\n

Queremos uno<\/strong> de fresa. <\/em>(We want a strawberry one.)<\/p>\n

Use un: <\/em><\/strong>When uno <\/em>is followed by a masculine singular noun, it gets shortened to un<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>and becomes an article. For example:<\/p>\n

Dile que necesito un<\/strong> libro. <\/em>(Tell him I need a book.)<\/p>\n

Queremos un<\/strong> helado de fresa. <\/em>(We want a strawberry ice-cream.)<\/p>\n

2. Primero<\/em> \/ Primer<\/em><\/h3>\n

This is another case of a masculine singular noun stealing an\u00a0-o\u00a0<\/em>from a word. How greedy!<\/p>\n

Use primero: <\/em><\/strong>When you learn the ordinal numbers in Spanish<\/a>, you normally memorize their masculine singular form. This is one of the instances when you use the whole form, as shown here:<\/p>\n

Primero<\/strong>, segundo, tercero, cuarto… <\/em>(First, second, third, fourth…)<\/p>\n

Also use the whole form when it is preceded by el <\/em>but not followed by a noun:<\/p>\n

Juan no fue el \u00faltimo en llegar, fue el primero. <\/strong><\/em>(Juan arrived first.) *Note that in Latin American Spanish this sounds odd, while in Castilian Spanish it is commonly used.<\/p>\n

Finally, we use the full form primero <\/em>when it is a time adverb<\/a> (with the meaning of “first,” “firstly,” “at first”):<\/p>\n

Primero<\/strong> corta la cebolla y luego pela las patatas. <\/em>(First cut the onions and then peel the potatoes.)<\/p>\n

Use primer: <\/em><\/strong>When it comes to primer<\/em>, use it only when it is followed by a masculine singular noun. For example:<\/p>\n

Este es el primer<\/strong> libro que he comprado en mi vida. <\/em>(This is the first book I have bought in my life.)<\/p>\n

3. Tercero<\/em> \/ Tercer<\/em><\/h3>\n

Tercero <\/em>and tercer <\/em>are very similar to primero <\/em>and primer\u00a0<\/em>and follow the same sort of rules.<\/p>\n

Use tercero: <\/em><\/strong>The full word is used when you are listing numerals: primero, segundo, tercero…<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

You also use the full form when it is preceded by el <\/em>and not followed by a noun:<\/p>\n

Juan lleg\u00f3 el tercero. <\/strong><\/em>(Juan finished third.)<\/p>\n

And finally, you use\u00a0tercero<\/em>\u00a0when you indicate the third step in a series:<\/p>\n

Tercero,<\/strong> a\u00f1ade agua fr\u00eda. <\/em>(Third, add some cold water.)<\/p>\n

Use tercer: <\/em><\/strong>Tercer <\/em>behaves like primer. <\/em>So it can only be used when followed by a masculine singular noun:<\/p>\n

Vivimos en el tercer<\/strong> piso. <\/em>(We live on the third floor.)<\/p>\n

4. Ciento<\/em> \/ Cien<\/em><\/h3>\n

You may be familiar with these words already if you’ve studied some Spanish. And it’s probably not surprising to learn that the number cien <\/em>(one hundred [100]) is an apocopation of ciento.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The number 100 in Spanish is a very special one and there are some specific situations where you use the full form and when you shorten it.<\/p>\n

Use cien: <\/em><\/strong>Always shorten ciento <\/em>to cien <\/em>when it is followed by a noun, either masculine or feminine. For example:<\/p>\n

cien<\/strong> libros <\/em>(one hundred books)<\/p>\n

cien<\/strong> camisas <\/em>(one hundred shirts)<\/p>\n

cien<\/strong> amigos <\/em>(one hundred friends)<\/p>\n

Cien<\/em> is also used to indicate the number 100 exactly:<\/p>\n

…noventa y nueve, cien… <\/strong><\/em>(…ninety-nine, one hundred…)<\/p>\n

You also use the shortened form in front of the words mil <\/em>(one thousand), mill\u00f3n <\/em>(a million), bill\u00f3n <\/em>(trillion\u2014Yes! This is a huge false friend<\/a>!), etc.<\/p>\n

It also appears in the expression cien<\/strong> por cien <\/em>(completely, totally)<\/p>\n

For example:<\/p>\n

Es cien por cien espa\u00f1ol. <\/em>(He is totally Spanish.)<\/p>\n

Use ciento: <\/em><\/strong>Ciento <\/em>is used for\u00a0numbers other than mil, mill\u00f3n, bill\u00f3n, <\/em>etc.:<\/p>\n

ciento<\/strong> uno <\/em>(one hundred and one)<\/p>\n

Finally, use\u00a0ciento<\/em> for\u00a0percentages:<\/p>\n

veinte por ciento<\/strong><\/em> (twenty percent)<\/p>\n

5. Bueno<\/em> \/ Buen<\/em><\/h3>\n

Bueno <\/em>and buen <\/em>are both adjectives and they both mean “good.”<\/p>\n

Use bueno: <\/em><\/strong>Bueno <\/em>can either follow a noun or appear by itself. For example:<\/p>\n

Es un padre bueno. <\/strong><\/em>(He is a good father.)<\/p>\n

Es bueno.<\/strong> <\/em>(He is good, a good person.)<\/p>\n

Use buen: <\/em><\/strong>Buen,<\/em> on the other hand, always precedes the noun and cannot appear by itself in the sentence. For example:<\/p>\n

Es un buen<\/strong> padre. <\/em>(He is a good father.)<\/p>\n

6. Malo<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>\/ Mal<\/em><\/h3>\n

The pair malo \/ mal <\/em>(bad) works exactly like the pair bueno \/ buen<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Use malo: <\/em><\/strong>If it f<\/strong>ollows a noun or appears by itself, use malo.\u00a0<\/em>For example:<\/p>\n

Es un padre malo. <\/strong><\/em>(He is a bad father.)<\/p>\n

Es malo.<\/strong> <\/em>(He is bad, a bad person.)<\/p>\n

Use mal: <\/em><\/strong>If it precedes the noun, use mal.\u00a0<\/em>For example:<\/p>\n

Es un mal<\/strong> padre. <\/em>(He is a bad father.)<\/p>\n

7. Grande<\/em> \/ Gran<\/em><\/h3>\n

This pair appears to behave like the two previous ones, but we have a slight change in meaning this time.<\/p>\n

You would use\u00a0grande <\/em>only after the noun or by itself and gran <\/em>only before the noun. However, you also have to think about the meaning of your sentence and decide which one to use.<\/p>\n

Use grande: <\/em><\/strong>If you use grande<\/em> (big), you are talking about size. For example:<\/p>\n

Es un hombre grande.<\/strong><\/em> (He is a big man.)<\/p>\n

Use gran: <\/em><\/strong>If you use gran <\/em>(great), you are giving your subjective opinion about how great\/impressive\/magnificent a person or thing is. For example:<\/p>\n

Es un gran<\/strong> hombre. <\/em>(He is a great man.)<\/p>\n

8. Alguno<\/em> \/ Alg\u00fan<\/em><\/h3>\n

The difference between alguno <\/em>and alg\u00fan <\/em>(any)\u00a0is very easy to learn.<\/p>\n

Use alguno: <\/em><\/strong>Alguno <\/em>is a pronoun. This means it substitutes the noun and appears by itself in the sentence. For example:<\/p>\n

Dame alguno. <\/strong><\/em>(Give me any [one].)<\/p>\n

Use\u00a0alg\u00fan: <\/em><\/strong>On the other hand, alg\u00fan <\/em>is a determiner<\/a>, which means it always has a noun following it. For example:<\/p>\n

Dame alg\u00fan<\/strong> libro. <\/em>(Give me any book.)<\/p>\n

9. Ninguno<\/em> \/ Ning\u00fan<\/em><\/h3>\n

Ninguno <\/em>and ning\u00fan <\/em>(not any)\u00a0are the mirror negative images of alguno <\/em>and alg\u00fan<\/em>.<\/p>\n

They behave in the same exact way, and the only difference from the previous pair of words is in their meaning and in the fact that ninguno <\/em>and ning\u00fan <\/em>only appear in negative sentences.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Use ninguno: <\/em><\/strong>Ninguno <\/em>is a pronoun so it is always by itself. For example:<\/p>\n

No me des ninguno. <\/strong><\/em>(Don’t give me any [one].)<\/p>\n

Use\u00a0ning\u00fan: <\/em><\/strong>Ning\u00fan<\/em> needs a noun following it. For example:<\/p>\n

No me des ning\u00fan<\/strong> libro. <\/em>(Don’t give me any book.)<\/p>\n

10. Santo<\/em> \/ San<\/em><\/h3>\n

Santo <\/em>and san <\/em>(both meaning “saint”) are a very interesting pair of words.<\/p>\n

Use santo: <\/em><\/strong>We use santo <\/em>when we are talking generally about saints but not naming them. For example:<\/p>\n

Este libro contiene la vida de muchos santos. <\/strong><\/em>(This book contains the lives of a lot of saints.)<\/p>\n

It’s also used in expressions like:<\/p>\n

ser un santo<\/strong><\/em> (to be a saint)<\/p>\n

a santo<\/strong> de qu\u00e9 <\/em>(why on earth)<\/p>\n

se le fue el santo<\/strong> al cielo <\/em>(he\/she completely forgot [lit. “the saint went to heaven”]).\u00a0<\/p>\n

You also use santo<\/em> as a part of a saint’s title, but only when it precedes the name of a saint that starts with To<\/em>– or Do<\/em>– :<\/p>\n

Santo<\/strong> Tom\u00e1s <\/em>(Saint Thomas)<\/p>\n

Santo<\/strong> Domingo <\/em>(Saint Dominic)<\/p>\n

Note that the feminine form santa<\/strong> <\/em>is used as the noun when referring generally to female saints and also precedes the names of all female saints, regardless of how they’re spelled.<\/p>\n

Also, be aware that\u00a0santo\/santa\u00a0<\/em> are also used as adjectives that mean “holy” or “saintly”.<\/p>\n

Use san: <\/em><\/strong>You use San <\/em>as the title for the rest of the names of male saints:<\/p>\n

San<\/strong> Miguel <\/em>(Saint Michael)<\/p>\n

San<\/strong> Pablo <\/em>(Saint Paul)<\/p>\n

San<\/strong> Francisco <\/em>(Saint Francis)<\/p>\n

11. Cualquiera<\/em> \/ Cualquier<\/em><\/h3>\n

Here we have another couple of words that change depending on their function and their position in the sentence.<\/p>\n

Use\u00a0cualquiera: <\/em><\/strong>We use cualquiera <\/em>(anyone, any, any one) when it is a pronoun or it follows the noun. For example:<\/p>\n

Cualquiera<\/strong> puede hacerlo. <\/em>(Anyone can do it.)<\/p>\n

Dame un libro cualquiera. <\/strong><\/em>(Give me any book.)<\/p>\n

Use\u00a0cualquier: <\/em><\/strong>We use the short form cualquier <\/em>(any) when it precedes the noun (either masculine or feminine). For example:<\/p>\n

Dame cualquier<\/strong> libro. <\/em>(Give me any book.)<\/p>\n

Cualquier<\/strong> taza me vale. <\/em>(Any mug will do.)<\/p>\n

12. Cu\u00e1nto<\/em> \/ Cu\u00e1n<\/em><\/h3>\n

Cu\u00e1nto <\/em>and cu\u00e1n <\/em>(how much, a lot, so much) are normally used only in questions and exclamations.<\/p>\n

Use cu\u00e1nto: <\/em><\/strong>Cu\u00e1nto <\/em>is used when it is followed by a noun or a verb, as shown here:<\/p>\n

\u00a1Cu\u00e1nto<\/strong> has crecido! <\/em>(You have grown up a lot!)<\/p>\n

\u00bfCu\u00e1nto<\/strong> es? <\/em>(How much is it?)<\/p>\n

\u00a1Cu\u00e1nto<\/strong> dinero! <\/em>(What a large amount of money!)<\/p>\n

Use cu\u00e1n: <\/em><\/strong>Cu\u00e1n <\/em>(so) can be followed by adjectives and adverbs\u00a0except for m\u00e1s <\/em>(more), peor<\/em> (worse), mayor<\/em> (older, bigger) and mejor <\/em>(better). For example:<\/p>\n

\u00a1Cu\u00e1n<\/strong> contento estoy! <\/em>(I am so happy!)<\/p>\n

\u00a1Cu\u00e1n<\/strong> r\u00e1pido corres! <\/em>(You run so fast!)<\/p>\n

However, cu\u00e1n <\/em><\/strong>is excessively formal and it is only used in theater plays, poetry and literature in general. During our everyday conversations, we substitute it for qu\u00e9<\/em>:<\/p>\n

\u00a1Qu\u00e9 contento estoy! <\/em>(I am so happy!)<\/p>\n

\u00a1Qu\u00e9 r\u00e1pido corres! <\/em>(You run so fast!)<\/p>\n

13. Tanto<\/em> \/ Tan<\/em><\/h3>\n

Tanto <\/em>and tan <\/em>(so, so much, so many, as much as) transform depending on the word they are modifying.<\/p>\n

Use tanto: <\/em><\/strong>If it modifies a noun or a verb, use the full form. For example:<\/p>\n

Tiene tanto <\/strong>dinero que puede comprar una isla. <\/em>(He has so much money he can buy an island.)<\/p>\n

Mar\u00eda come tanto<\/strong> como yo. <\/em>(Mar\u00eda eats as much as I do.)<\/p>\n

Use tan: <\/em><\/strong>If it modifies an adjective or an adverb, except for m\u00e1s, menos<\/em>, mejor <\/em>and peor,<\/em> use the shortened form:<\/p>\n

Eres tan<\/strong> alta como Pedro. <\/em>(You are as tall as Pedro.)<\/p>\n

\u00bfC\u00f3mo puedes correr tan<\/strong> r\u00e1pido? <\/em>(How can you run so fast?)<\/p>\n

14. Mucho<\/em> \/ Muy<\/em><\/h3>\n

I bet you didn’t know muy <\/em>(very) is the apocopation of mucho <\/em>(a lot)! This pair of words changes its form depending on its meaning and the word it modifies.<\/p>\n

Use mucho: <\/em><\/strong>Use mucho <\/em>with nouns and verbs. For example:<\/p>\n

Tengo mucho<\/strong> dinero. <\/em>(I have a lot of money.)<\/p>\n

Siempre come mucho. <\/strong><\/em>(He always eats a lot.)<\/p>\n

Use muy: <\/em><\/strong>Use muy <\/em>with adjectives and adverbs. For example:<\/p>\n

Es un parque muy<\/strong> grande. <\/em>(It is a very big park.)<\/p>\n

Mi hermano escribe muy<\/strong> r\u00e1pido. <\/em>(My brother can write very fast.)<\/p>\n

15. Reciente<\/em> \/ Reci\u00e9n<\/em><\/h3>\n

The last pair of words is a little bit tricky.<\/p>\n

On the one hand, reciente <\/em>is an adjective and it means “fresh, recent.” On the other hand, reci\u00e9n <\/em>is an adverb and it means “freshly, newly.”<\/p>\n

Use reciente: <\/em><\/strong>We use reciente <\/em>to modify a noun (normally after it!). For example:<\/p>\n

Es un hecho reciente. <\/strong><\/em>(It’s a recent development.)<\/p>\n

La crisis econ\u00f3mica reciente<\/strong> est\u00e1 fuera de control. <\/em>(The recent economic crisis is out of control.)<\/p>\n

Use reci\u00e9n: <\/em><\/strong>When it comes to reci\u00e9n<\/em>, in Spain we normally use it before a past participle. For example:<\/p>\n

Reci\u00e9n<\/strong> pintado. <\/em>(Freshly painted.)<\/p>\n

Reci\u00e9n<\/strong> casados. <\/em>(Newlyweds.)<\/p>\n

In Latin America, however, it is very common to see it with other verb forms, with the general meaning of “just, not long ago”:<\/p>\n

Reci\u00e9n<\/strong> lleg\u00f3. <\/em>(He has just arrived.)<\/p>\n

Reci\u00e9n<\/strong> desayun\u00e9. <\/em>(I have just eaten breakfast.)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Spanish is less flexible than English in the use of apocopation. You have to bear in mind some rules and exceptions if you want to get it right every time!<\/p>\n

The best way to learn these rules is by hearing the words repeatedly used in context<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

If you can’t have regular conversations with native speakers, the next best thing is to listen to these words used in video content like that on FluentU<\/a>, a program that teaches Spanish using web videos.

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n

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