Spanish Nouns Used Only in the Plural (not yet recorded)  

Singular and Plural Nouns

Afueras - environs
Aguaderas - frames to carry water
Albricias - reward for good news--also used as interjection: joy! joy!!
Andas - stretcher, also frame for carrying an image
Calendas - calends
Calzoncillos - drawers
Carnestolendas - carnival
Celos - jealously--"Celo"--zeal
Hacer cosquillas - to tickle
Despabilladoras - snuffers
Enaguas - skirt
Fauces - gullet
Modales - manners
Mientes--also Mente - the mind
Parrillas - gridiron
Puches - sort of fritters
Tenazas - tongs, pincers
Tijeras - scissors
Tinieblas - utter darkness
Víveres - victuals
Zaragüelles - kind of breeches

Note the following:

Á ciegas - blindly
Á ojos cegarritas - blindly
Á horcajadas - astride
Á hurtadillas - on the sly
Á sabiendas - knowingly
De puntillas - on tiptoe
Á tientas - groping
De bóbilis bóbilis - without toil
De bruces - on all fours
En ayunas - fasting
En volandas - in the air, off one's feet

The following plurals, besides the ordinary, have also a different meaning from the singular

El alfiler - pin Los alfileres - pins, pin-money
El día - day Los días - days, birthday
La esposa - wife Las esposas - wives, handcuffs
El grillo - the cricket Los grilles - crickets, shackles
La letra - letter Las letras - letters--literary knowledge
El padre - father .mp3]Los padres[212] - fathers, parents
[Footnote 212: In the same manner all masculine plurals include also the plurals of both genders, as: Hermanos (brothers, also brothers and sisters).]

We make the following remarks on the plural of compound words.

The elements which concur to the formation of compound nouns are:

A B
Verbs Adjectives
Prepositions Nouns
Adverbs Participles
Conjunctions Pronouns
Prefixes
General Rule

The elements in A are invariable except:

Un bullebulle - busybody >Unos bullebulles
Un quehacer - occupation >Unos quehaceres
Pasapasa - sleight of hand Pasapasas - sleight of hand tricks

The elements in B take the mark of the plural:

Alzacuello - minister's collar Alzacuellos
Alzapaño - curtain hook Alzapañios
Andaniño - child's cart Andaniñios
Antepasado - ancestor Antepasados
Ave María - a prayer Ave Marías
Cualquiera - whatever Cualesquiera
Entremetido - intruder, busybody Entremetidos
Gentilhombre - man of gentle birth Gentileshombres
Guardafuego - fire-guard Guardafuegos
Hijodalgo - squire Hijosdalgo
Pasamano - handrail, lace-edgings Pasamanos
Pasatiempo - pastime Pasatiempos
Picaparte - latch or latchkey Picapartes
Pisaverde - beau Pisaverdes
Portaestandarte - standard bearer Portaestandartes
Portafusil - musket-sling Portafusiles
Puercoespín - porcupine Puercosespines
Quienquiera - whoever Quienesquiera
Quitasol - parasol Quitasoles
Ricahembra - woman of gentle birth Ricashembras
Sobrecama - counterpane Sobrecamas
Sobredicho - aforesaid Sobredichos
Tapaboca - slap on the mouth Tapabocas
Tirabotón - button-hook Tirabotones
N.B.: When the second of the two words commences with r this letter should be doubled:
Ropa - clothes
guardarropa - wardrobe
guardarropas - wardrobes

In compound nouns (very rare) formed of two nouns of which the first stands as an adjective to the second, the first noun remains invariable, the second only taking the mark of the plural:

Ferrocarril - railway Ferrocarriles
Madreselva - honeysuckle Madreselvas

In the following compound nouns formed of an adjective and a noun, the adjective remains invariable in the plural, as:

Bajamar - low tide Bajamares -
Bajorelieve - bas-relief Bajorelieves -
Belladona - belladonna Belladonas -
Blancomanjar - blanc-mange Blancomanjares -
Plenamar - full tide Plenamares -
Salvoconducto - safe conduct Salvoconductos -
Salvaguardia - safeguard Salvaguardias -
Santa Bárbara - powder magazine Santa Bárbaras -

In compound nouns formed of two words, the first of which has suffered the loss or change of a letter, this first component remains invariable:

Many such words are found in Spanish.
Artimaña - trick Artimañas
Barbicano - white-bearded man Barbicanos
Barbilindo - beardless man Barbilindos
Boquirrubio - rosy-lipped Boquirrubios
Cojitranco - lame fellow--disparagingly Cojitrancos
Cuellierguido - stiff-necked man Cuellierguidos
Gallipavo - turkey Gallipavos
Manirroto - spendthrift Manirrotos
Marisabidilla - blue stocking Marisabidillas
Ojinegro - black-eyed Ojinegros
Ojizarco - blue-eyed Ojizarcos
Patizambo - bandy-legged Patizambos
Pechicolorado - robin redbreast Pechicolorados
Pleamar - high tide Pleamares
Tragicomedia - tragi-comedy Tragicomedias
Viandante - wayfarer Viandantes

The following make their plural as follows:

Bancarrota - bankruptcy Bancarrotas -
Coliflor - cauliflower Coliflores
Dares y tomares - wrangling
Dimes y diretes - ifs, ands and buts
Don Diego de noche - four o'clocks: flower Don Diegos de noche
Maritornes - ill-shaped woman Maritornes
Parabién - compliment Parabienes
Vaivén - vibration Vaivenes

The following are examples of the large class of nouns (compound) formed with a verb or adverb and a plural noun and which are used for both numbers:

Azotacalles - idler
Buscavidas - pryer
Cortaplumas - penknife
Chupaflores - humming-bird
Destripaterrones - navvy
Lavamanos - wash-hand stand
Limpiabotas - boot-black
Matamoros - boaster
Mondadientes - toothpick
Papahueros - ninny
Papamoscas - ninny
Papanatas - ninny
Paracaídas - parachute
Paraguas - umbrella
Pelagatos - ragamuffin
Pintamonas - slap-dasher or bad partner
Sacacorchos - corkscrew
Salvavidas - life-boats
Sepancuantos - slap or blow

The following also are used for both numbers without alteration:

Correveidile - tale-bearer
Hazmereir - laughing-stock
Metomentodo - busybody
Paternoster - Lord's Prayer
Quitaipón - ornament for headstall of draught beasts
Sábelotodo - presumptious man
Sinvergüenza - barefaced man

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Popular Phrase: spanish language course | Spanish for Construction | Conjugated Verb: acuciar - to plague, to pester [ click for full conjugation ]