Learn Spanish (Spain): Este contrato tiene kilometraje ilimitado.

Este contrato tiene kilometraje ilimitado.

This contract has unlimited mileage.

Breakdown of Este contrato tiene kilometraje ilimitado.

tener

to have

este

this (m.sg., also esta, estos, estas, esto)

Questions & Answers about Este contrato tiene kilometraje ilimitado.

Why is it este contrato and not esto contrato?

Este is the masculine singular adjective used directly in front of a noun, like contrato. Esto is a neuter pronoun used only when you are referring to a general concept, a situation, or an unidentified object, and it is never used directly before a noun.

Is there a rule for the gender of words ending in -aje like kilometraje?

Yes! Nouns ending in the suffix -aje are almost always masculine in Spanish. This suffix is very useful to know because it frequently translates directly to the English suffix '-age' (like kilometraje for mileage, or porcentaje for percentage).

I know límite means limit, but how does the prefix in ilimitado work?

Just like in English, Spanish uses prefixes to negate words. The negative prefix in- drops the n and becomes i- before words starting with l or r (like ilimitado or irreal). It turns the adjective limitado (limited) into its exact opposite.

Why isn't there an article before kilometraje? Shouldn't it be tiene un kilometraje ilimitado?

While you could technically say tiene un kilometraje ilimitado, omitting the article sounds much more natural here. When you talk about possessing a general, uncountable, or categorical feature after the verb tener, Spanish often drops the indefinite article.