Verb + Noun Compounds
In Spanish, many words for tools, devices, and everyday items are compound nouns. A very common pattern is to combine a verb (describing what the tool does) with a plural noun (describing what the tool acts on).
For example, a corkscrew pulls out (saca) corks (corchos).
| corkscrew | el sacacorchos |
Notice that even though the word ends in -s, it is singular when referring to a single item. These compound nouns are also almost always masculine.
| I cannot find any corkscrew in the kitchen. | No encuentro ningún sacacorchos en la cocina. |
Making Them Plural
Because these words already end in an -s, the noun itself does not change when you want to make it plural. To pluralize these compound nouns, you simply change the article (like el to los or un to unos) and any adjectives modifying them.
| We bought two new corkscrews. | Compramos dos sacacorchos nuevos. |
Here is another example with el lavaplatos (the dishwasher). Notice how only the article changes to indicate whether there is one or more than one.
| We just repaired the dishwasher. | Acabamos de arreglar el lavaplatos. |
| I was repairing the dishwashers when she arrived. | Arreglaba los lavaplatos cuando ella llegó. |
More Everyday Tools
This pattern applies to a wide variety of common objects. For instance, abrir (to open) + latas (cans) gives us el abrelatas (can opener), and romper (to break) + cabezas (heads) gives us el rompecabezas (puzzle/brainteaser).
| He just bought a can opener. | Él acaba de comprar un abrelatas. |
| Where are the can openers? | ¿Dónde están los abrelatas? |
| I told him to finish the puzzle. | Le dije que terminara el rompecabezas. |
| Those puzzles are complicated. | Esos rompecabezas son complicados. |