When inspecting designer goods at a street market, you might want to exclaim how good (or bad!) a copy is. You can do this using the structure ¡Qué + [noun] + tan + [adjective]!.
| What a good replica! | ¡Qué réplica tan buena! |
Extreme Degree by Repetition
In colloquial Spanish, you don't always need words like muy (very) to emphasize a point. Instead, you can simply repeat the adjective. This indicates the absolute most extreme degree of that quality.
Notice how the repeated adjectives still match the noun they describe in both gender and number.
| This is not a cheap replica, it is expensive expensive. | Esta no es una réplica barata, es cara cara. |
| This logo is crooked crooked. | Este logotipo está torcido torcido. |
| These stitches are small small. | Estas puntadas son pequeñas pequeñas. |
You can easily pair this repetition with adverbs like sospechosamente (suspiciously) to describe exactly how a product comes across when the details don't quite add up.
| The price dropped suspiciously, it is cheap cheap. | El precio bajó sospechosamente, es barato barato. |
The "Real Deal"
This repetition trick isn't just for emphasizing descriptive adjectives. You can also repeat a core word to emphasize that something is the truest, most authentic version of itself.
This is especially useful when trying to figure out if a luxury item is the real deal or just a clever imitation.
| Is this luxurious bag original original or a replica? | ¿Este bolso lujoso es original original o una réplica? |