Spanish flag

Verb-noun compounds that do not change form

When learning Spanish, it is tempting to think that any noun ending in an s must be plural. If you want to talk about just one item, you might naturally try to chop the s off the end. This logic works for many regular words, but it will lead you straight into a trap with a special group of Spanish vocabulary.

Many everyday words, like paraguas and cumpleaños, always end in an s. They are compound words that do not change form. This means they look completely identical whether you are talking about one single item or ten of them.

Word list
cumpleañosmA1 birthday un cumpleaños; dos cumpleaños lavarropasmA2 washing machine un lavarropas; dos lavarropas paraguasmA2 umbrella un paraguas; dos paraguas abrebotellasmB1 bottle opener un abrebotellas; dos abrebotellas abrelatasmB1 can opener un abrelatas; dos abrelatas lavamanosmB1 washbasin un lavamanos; dos lavamanos lavaplatosmB1 dishwasher un lavaplatos; dos lavaplatos lavavajillasmB1 dishwasher un lavavajillas; dos lavavajillas pintalabiosmB1 lipstick un pintalabios; dos pintalabios rascacielosmB1 skyscraper un rascacielos; muchos rascacielos rompecabezasmB1 jigsaw puzzle un rompecabezas; dos rompecabezas sujetapapelesmB1 paper clip un sujetapapeles; dos sujetapapeles guardaespaldasB2 bodyguard el/la guardaespaldas; los/las guardaespaldas guardavidasB2 lifeguard el/la guardavidas; los/las guardavidas marcapáginasmB2 bookmark un marcapáginas; dos marcapáginas montacargasmB2 forklift un montacargas; dos montacargas parabrisasmB2 windshield el parabrisas; los parabrisas paracaídasmB2 parachute un paracaídas; dos paracaídas parachoquesmB2 bumper el parachoques; los parachoques paragolpesmB2 bumper el paragolpes; los paragolpes tragamonedasmB2 slot machine un tragamonedas; dos tragamonedas tragaperrasmB2 slot machine una tragaperras; varias tragaperras cortaplumasmC1 penknife un cortaplumas; dos cortaplumas escarbadientesmC1 toothpick un escarbadientes; dos escarbadientes espantapájarosmC1 scarecrow un espantapájaros; dos espantapájaros mondadientesmC1 toothpick un mondadientes; dos mondadientes pintaúñasmC1 nail polish un pintaúñas; dos pintaúñas portapapelesmC1 clipboard un portapapeles; varios portapapeles sacacorchosmC1 corkscrew un sacacorchos; dos sacacorchos saltamontesmC1 grasshopper un saltamontes; los saltamontes trabalenguasmC1 tongue-twister un trabalenguas; varios trabalenguas cascanuecesmC2 nutcracker un cascanueces; dos cascanueces cazamariposasmC2 butterfly net un cazamariposas; dos cazamariposas limpiachimeneasC2 chimney sweep el/la limpiachimeneas; los/las limpiachimeneas limpiaparabrisasmC2 windshield wiper un limpiaparabrisas; varios limpiaparabrisas matamoscasmC2 flyswatter un matamoscas; dos matamoscas portavasosmC2 coaster un portavasos; dos portavasos posavasosmC2 coaster un posavasos; dos posavasos sacapuntasmC2 pencil sharpener un sacapuntas; dos sacapuntas salvavidasmC2 life belt un salvavidas; dos salvavidas
How the pattern works

These compound words are formed by combining a verb with a plural noun. For example, the word for umbrella is paraguas. It comes from the verb parar (to stop) and the plural noun aguas (waters). Because the noun part of the recipe is already plural, the resulting compound word always has an s at the end. You will often see words like abrelatas built this way to describe what a specific tool does.

To show whether the word is singular or plural, you just change the article before it. You say un cumpleaños for one birthday and dos cumpleaños for two birthdays. The noun itself stays exactly the same.

Compré un paraguas rojo y dos paraguas negros.
(I bought one red umbrella and two black umbrellas.)
Hoy es el cumpleaños de mi hermano.
(Today is my brother's birthday.)
Tools and items around the house

This naming pattern is incredibly common for household tools and appliances. In the kitchen, you might use a lavarropas to wash clothes, or a lavaplatos or lavavajillas to clean dishes. When you open a drink, you reach for an abrebotellas or a sacacorchos. If you are eating nuts, you need a cascanueces, and after a meal you might use an escarbadientes or a mondadientes. To protect your table, you place your glass on a portavasos or a posavasos.

In the bathroom, you wash your hands in the lavamanos. You might also find cosmetics like pintalabios and pintaúñas. Over at your desk, you will definitely spot a sacapuntas, a cortaplumas, a portapapeles, or a marcapáginas for your reading.

Este sacapuntas funciona, pero los otros sacapuntas están rotos.
(This pencil sharpener works, but the other pencil sharpeners are broken.)
Mi apartamento no tiene un lavaplatos.
(My apartment does not have a dishwasher.)
Puzzles, bugs, and big structures

The verb-plus-noun combination describes all sorts of clever concepts. A rompecabezas literally breaks heads, but we call it a jigsaw puzzle. A trabalenguas ties your tongue. If you visit a casino, you will see a tragamonedas or a tragaperras swallowing coins.

Out in nature, a grasshopper is a saltamontes because it jumps over hills, and a cazamariposas is a net used to catch butterflies. If you hate pests, you can use a matamoscas to swat flies. In the city, you will see tall buildings called rascacielos because they scrape the skies.

Armamos un rompecabezas de mil piezas.
(We put together a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle.)
Nueva York tiene muchos rascacielos hermosos.
(New York has many beautiful skyscrapers.)
Protection and people

Many words starting with para (to stop) or guarda (to keep or protect) follow this rule. Cars have a parabrisas to stop the wind and a limpiaparabrisas to clean it. If you jump out of a plane, you need a paracaídas. To stay safe in the water, you use a salvavidas. Out in the fields, farmers use an espantapájaros to scare away birds.

When these compounds refer to people, the noun still does not change form, but the article changes to match the person's gender. A bodyguard is el guardaespaldas or la guardaespaldas. The same rule applies to a guardavidas at the beach, or a limpiachimeneas working on your roof.

El presidente viaja con tres guardaespaldas.
(The president travels with three bodyguards.)
Una piedra rompió el parabrisas de mi coche.
(A stone broke my car's windshield.)
Summary

When you spot a Spanish noun that is made of a verb and a plural word, leave the final s alone. The word has the exact same spelling in the singular and the plural, so you only need to change the articles and adjectives around it to show how many you have.