Apocope in Spanish

By Marta Díaz on Thursday, September 12, 2024

Have you ever talked to someone, and you thought you heard them say a word in a shorter form or not pronounce the final syllable? This linguistic phenomenon is called apocope and today we are going to explain how apocope works in Spanish.

Learn what Spanish apocope is, when it is used and some examples to understand how it works. Don't miss anything!

What is an apocope?

An apocope in Spanish is a linguistic phenomenon where there is the loss or omission of one or more sounds at the end of a word to make it shorter. It is usually one syllable but can be more than one. This process is common in Spanish and usually occurs with nouns, adjectives, adverbs or pronouns. The Spanish apocopated word retains its initial meaning, even if it is a shorter word.

The main reason for using apocope in Spanish is euphony or sonority and economy of language. In this way, words sound more natural and fluid in communication and speech.

Types of apocopated words in Spanish

As mentioned above, apocope in Spanish can occur in several types of words: nouns, pronouns, adjectives and adverbs.

In the case of nouns, both proper and common nouns can be shortened. If you know someone whose name is Manu, his or her full name is probably Manuel; while, if you know someone named Isa, her un-apocopated name will be Isabel. The same happens with common Spanish nouns used in everyday life such as ‘cine’, ‘peli’ or ‘boli’.

On the other hand, the pronouns, which are much easier to apocopate than adverbs. Some pronouns with apocope are ‘algún’, ‘ningún’ or ‘mi’. On the other hand, some apocopated adverbs are ‘cuan’ or ‘tan’. Adjectives are the least apocopated words, but there are some such as: ‘gran’ or ‘buen’.

However, in the case of the indefinite pronoun ‘alguno’ or ‘alguna’, it can also function as a determiner. In this form, its feminine 'alguna' is normally apocopated in 'algún' before nouns that begin with a tonic /a/, for example: 'algún águila' (some eagle) or 'algún animal' (some animal). However, if another word is inserted between the indefinite and the noun, the apocope does not occur. In this case it would be: ‘alguna majestuosa águila’ (some majestic eagle) or ‘alguna afilada hacha’ (some sharp axe). On the other hand, when the adjective follows it, it must agree in the feminine with the noun, thus it would be: ‘algún águila majestuosa’ (some majestic eagle) or ‘algún hacha afilada’ (some sharp axe).

Examples of apocope in Spanish

Here you will find some of the most common examples of apocopic words in Spanish.

• Foto of fotografía (Photo and photography). Example: ‘Realicé una foto increíble con mi teléfono’ (I took an amazing photo with my phone).
• Tele of televisión (TV and television). E.g. ‘Vamos a ver en la tele esta noche una serie nueva’ (We are going to watch a new series on TV tonight).
• Moto of motocicleta (Motocycle). E.g. ‘La moto de mi padre se rompió el mes pasado’ (My father's motorcycle broke down last month).
• Cine of cinematógrafo (Cinema and cinematograph). E.g. ‘He ido al cine la semana pasada con mi madre’ (I went to the movies last week with my mother).
• Profe of profesor or profesora (Teacher). g. ‘El profe nos explicó la lección muy bien’ (The teacher explained the lesson very well).
• Bici of bicicleta (bici and bicycle). E.g. ‘Me gusta pasear en bici los domingos’ (I like to ride my bike on Sundays).
• Auto of automóvil (Auto and automobile). E.g. ‘El auto se paró en medio de la carrera’ (The auto stopped in the middle of the race).
• Radio of radiodifusión (Radio). E.g. ‘Escuché la noticia del incendio en la radio’ (I heard the news of the fire on the radio).
• Uni of universidad. E.g. ‘Mañana empiezo las clases en la uni’ (Tomorrow I start classes at the uni).
• Peli of película (Film or movie). g. ‘La última peli de Pedro Almodóvar ha ganado un premio’ (Pedro Almodovar's latest film has won an award).
• Tan of tanto (As much as). E.g. ‘No sabía que era tan complicado resolver la ecuación’ (I didn't know it was so complicated to solve the equation).
• Boli of bolígrafo (Pan). E.g. ‘Perdí mi boli favorito antes del examen’ (I lost my favorite pen before the exam)
• Bus of autobús (Bus). E.g. ‘El bus se retrasó una hora’ (The bus was an hour late).
• Algún de alguno/a (Some). E.g. ‘¿Tienes algún consejo?’ (Do you have any advice?)
• Mi of mío or mía. E.g. ‘Mi casa está al final de la calle’ (My house is at the end of the street)
• Ningún of ninguna/o (None). E.g. ‘No encontré ningún error en el informe’ (I found no errors in the report.)
• Gran of grande (Great). Ej. ‘Será un gran logro para todos conseguir el premio’ (It will be a great achievement for everyone to get the award)

All these words are Spanish apocopes, but there are many more that you may encounter in everyday life when speaking with a native Spanish speaker, such as ‘info’ or ‘zoo’. Did you already know any of these words? If you want to know more about apocopes in Spanish, the use of the personal a, useful Spanish words or vocabulary about sports, sign up for a Spanish course in Spain with Enforex.