COUNTABLE
NOUNS (SUSTANTIVOS CONTABLES)
Por
ejemplo: (a) car - (un) auto; (a) flower - (una) flor; (an) apple - (una)
manzana. Puedes usar esta fórmula: ONE/TWO/THREE + COUNTABLE NOUN
(uno/dos/tres...+ sustantivo contable). Puedes usarlos de este modo porque los
PUEDES CONTAR; puedes contar ONE car, TWO flowers, THREE apples, etc. (UN auto,
DOS flores, TRES manzanas, etc..).
Los
sustantivos contables pueden estar en SINGULAR (= one, uno) o en PLURAL (= two or more, dos o más). Veamos
estos ejemplos:
SINGULAR:
a car, my car, the car, etc. (un auto, mi auto, el auto, etc.)
PLURAL: cars, two cars, the cars, some cars, many
cars, etc. (los
autos, dos autos, los autos, unos o algunos autos, muchos autos, etc.).
OBSERVA
AHORA ESTAS CURIOSIDADES GRAMATICALES:
Habrás
observado tres líneas arriba que cars y the cars se tradujo en ambos casos como
los autos. Veamos:
a)
Cuando te refieres a "los autos" EN GENERAL, es decir a TODOS los
automóviles del mundo NO DEBES USAR el artículo definido the: CARS are
expensive (LOS AUTOS son caros). Lo mismo ocurre con cualquier otro sustantivo:
ELEPHANTS don't fly (LOS ELEFANTES no vuelan); ARGENTINIANS eat too much meat
(LOS ARGENTINOS consumen demasiada carne).
b)
Cuando te refieres a "los autos" EN PARTICULAR (es decir a los
automóviles de los cuales estás hablando) DEBES USAR el artículo definido the:
He's buying THE CARS (Está comprando LOS AUTOS). Se supone que está comprando
los autos acerca de los cuales nos estuvo hablando en algún momento.
ULTIMA
OBSERVACION DE ESTE PUNTO:
NO
DIGAS: I don't have car para significar No tengo auto.
DEBES DECIR: I don't have a car.
Countable
nouns (countable)
For example: (a) car - (a) self, (a) flower - (a)
flower, (n) apple - (a) block. You can use this formula: ONE / TWO / THREE +
countable noun (one / two / three ... + countable noun). You can use them in
this way because YOU CAN COUNT, you have ONE car, flowers TWO, THREE apples,
etc.. (A car, two flowers, three apples, etc. ..).
The countable nouns can be singular (= one, one) or
plural (two or more = two or more). Consider these examples:
SINGULAR: a car, my car, the car, etc.. (a car, my
car, car, etc.).
PLURAL: cars, two cars, the cars, some cars, Many
cars, etc.. (cars, two cars, the cars, one or a few cars, many cars, etc..).
GRAMMATICAL NOTES NOW THIS FACT:
You'll notice three lines up cars and the cars that
resulted in both cases the cars. Let's see:
a) When you mean "cars" IN GENERAL, that is
ALL the cars in the world must not use the definite article the: CARS are
expensive (cars are expensive). The same goes for any other noun: ELEPHANTS do
not fly (ELEPHANTS not fly); Argentinians eat too much meat (ARGENTINES consume
too much meat).
b) When you mean "cars" in particular (ie
the cars of which you are talking) You must use the definite article: He's
buying THE CARS (CARS are buying). It is assumed that you are buying the cars
on which we were talking at some point.
LAST NOTE OF THIS ITEM:
DO NOT SAY: I do not have car to mean I have no car.
YOU SAY: I do not have a car.
