2.3. Other Topics
2.3.1. Countable Nouns and Uncountable Nouns
Countable Nouns
A countable noun is a noun that can be counted as individual units.
Below are some countable nouns:
| SINGULAR | PLURAL | TRANSLATION |
|---|---|---|
| Lo consellîo | Los consellîos | The advice |
| Lo software | Los software | The software |
| Lo dato | Los datos | The data |
| La pròva | Las pròvas | The proof / The evidence |
| Lo critèrio | Los critèrios | The criteria |
| La notitia | Las notitias | The news |
| La crítica | Las críticas | The criticism |
The countable nouns above use the plural form when speaking about the concept in a general sense.
| Los datos son corruptos. | The data is corrupt. |
| Mèo mèntore me dà bònos consellîos. | My mentor gives me good advice. |
Below are more countable nouns:
| SINGULAR | PLURAL | TRANSLATION |
|---|---|---|
| La informatione | Las informationes | The information |
| Lo conoscimènto | Los conoscimèntos | The knowledge |
| Lo progrèsso | Los progrèssos | The progress |
In contrast, these countable nouns use the singular form when speaking about the concept in a general sense.
| La informatione èst importante. | Information is important. |
| Lo progrèsso non èst inevitàbile. | Progress is not inevitable. |
Uncountable Nouns
An uncountable noun is a noun that cannot be counted as individual units. They are often things that are abstract or not easily quantifiable.
Many uncountable nouns are consumable objects, such as food, beverages or other resources. For uncountable nouns, use an indefinite quantifier (ex: some, a lot of) or a unit of measurement (ex: a cup, a bucket) to describe the noun.
| Un vetro de aqua | A glass of water |
| Una tassa de caffè | A cup of coffee |
| Un pauco de alimènto | Some food |
An exception to this rule is in the case of consumable objects that come in a specific container.
For example: “un caffè” [a coffee], because the coffee comes in a cup, which is a predefined unit.
In addition, the following nouns are also uncountable:
| Los mòbiles | The furniture |
| Los vestitos | The clothes |
2.3.2. Adjectives as Nouns
To use an adjective as a noun, use an article (indefinite or definite) followed by the noun by itself.
| Estrangèro ➜ Lo estrangèro | Foreign ➜ The foreigner |
| Felice ➜ Los felices | Happy ➜ The happy / The happy ones |
Sometimes the noun has a different meaning than the adjective.
| Gelato | Lo gelato | Frozen / Ice cream |
This said, the past participle "congelato" from the verb "congelare" is a more clear option to say "frozen".
2.3.3. Past Participles as Nouns
A past participle can also become a noun when preceded by an article.
| Elècto ➜ Lo elècto | Chosen ➜ The chosen one |
2.3.4. Forming Compound Nouns
Compound nouns are nouns formed by combining two or more words.
One common way to form compound nouns is to use a verb and a noun.
Compound Noun (Verb + Noun):
Third person conjugation of a verb + Plural noun (usually plural, but not always)
| VERB | NOUN | COMPOUND NOUN (VERB + NOUN) | TRANSLATION |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aprire (To open) | Latta (Can) | Aprelattas | Can opener |
| Portare (To carry) | Pènna (Pen) | Portapènnas | Pen holder |