Breakdown of Este animal peludo es un mamífero nocturno.
ser
to be
un
a, an (masculine)
el animal
the animal
este
this
el mamífero
mammal
peludo
furry
nocturno
nocturnal
Questions & Answers about Este animal peludo es un mamífero nocturno.
Could I change the word order to Este peludo animal es un nocturno mamífero?
You could say Este peludo animal, but you absolutely cannot say un nocturno mamífero. Peludo is a qualifying adjective (it describes a measurable quality), so it can occasionally go before the noun for subjective emphasis. Nocturno, however, is a relational adjective here (it classifies the mammal into a specific scientific category). A major syntactic constraint of relational adjectives is that they must always go after the noun they modify.
Can I add muy to make it un mamífero muy nocturno?
Grammatically, no. Because nocturno is acting as a relational adjective in this biological context, it classifies the noun rather than describing a gradable quality. A species is either nocturnal or it isn't, so it can't be "very nocturnal." In contrast, you could say Este animal es muy peludo because peludo is a qualifying adjective, which can be measured in degrees.
If nocturno can never take a degree modifier like muy, how would I say someone is a "night owl"?
When applied to humans as a personality trait, nocturno switches from being a strict relational adjective to a qualifying one. If you say Soy una persona muy nocturna (I am a very nocturnal person / a night owl), it is perfectly valid because it now describes a lifestyle habit rather than a rigid scientific classification, meaning it no longer follows the constraints of a relational adjective.
Is peludo related to the word for hair?
Yes, it comes from pelo (hair). In Spanish, pelo is used for the hair on a human body, but also for animal fur. Therefore, peludo translates to both "hairy" and "furry" depending on whether you are talking about a person or an animal.
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