More Word Formations - Using Participles

We learned already that you can form some nouns out of taking a verb and conjugating it into either the first- or third-person form. For example, the verb aumentar ("to increase") can be turned into a noun which means "the increase" by conjugating the infinitive into the first person:

aumentar - to increase turns into el aumento - the increase
Habrá un aumento en los sueldos este año. There will be an increase in salaries this year.


You must memorize which verbs turn into nouns, and the method in which they do so. This knowledge will come with time, as you eventually increase your understanding of the language.

Another way to turn verbs into nouns is by extrapolating the verb's past participle. If you are unsure what a past participle is, be sure to review this concept before attempting to understand this. However, if you want, you can also just remember the suffixes -ada for "-ar verbs", and -ida for "-er/ir verbs". Here are some examples:

bajar to go down, to lower
la bajada the way down, decline


comer to eat
la comida the meal


entrar to enter
la entrada the entrance


salir to leave
la salida the exit


llegar to arrive
la llegada the arrival


mirar to see
la mirada the glance


subir to go up
la subida the way up, incline

See what other verbs exist out there where you can change them into nouns. There are several different ways in which you can do this. Also, be sure to watch for other ways to change nouns into verbs, which will come up in future lessons.

Sigue estudiando,

Professor Joel