Questions & Answers about Tu hijo tiene muy buenos modales.
Why is the adjective buenos placed before the noun modales instead of after it?
In Spanish, placing an adjective before the noun often emphasizes the quality or treats it as an inherent characteristic. Additionally, buenos modales is a common fixed phrase for "good manners," so it sounds much more natural than modales buenos. I learned that bueno drops its final 'o' before a masculine noun. Why doesn't it become buen here?
The rule where bueno shortens to buen only applies to singular masculine nouns, such as un buen chico. Because modales is plural, the adjective keeps its full plural ending and remains buenos. Is the word modales always plural when talking about politeness?
Yes, when referring to someone's social behavior or etiquette, Spanish always uses the plural los modales. The singular word modal exists, but it is mainly used as a technical term in grammar or statistics. How else could I say someone is well-mannered in Spain?
A very common alternative in Spain is to use the phrase buena educación. You could say Tu hijo tiene muy buena educación, which translates literally to "good upbringing" but is used exactly like "good manners" in everyday conversation. Learn Tu hijo tiene muy buenos modales and more in Spanish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free