Types of Spanish Phrases (Sintagmas)

This comprehensive page outlines the four main types of phrases in Spanish grammar, detailing their structures and functions.

Definition: A phrase (sintagma) is a word or group of words that functions as a single unit in sentence structure.

Highlight: The four main types of phrases are: nominal, adjectival, adverbial, and prepositional.

Nominal Phrases (Sintagma Nominal):

Definition: A word or group of words with a noun, substantive, or pronoun as its nucleus. Example: "Mi hermana pequeña" (My little sister)

Adjectival Phrases (Sintagma Adjetival):

Definition: A word or group of words centered around an adjective. Example: "Feo de narices" (Extremely ugly)

Adverbial Phrases (Sintagma Adverbial):

Definition: A word or group of words with an adverb as its core element. Example: "Muy lentamente" (Very slowly)

Prepositional Phrases (Sintagma Preposicional):

Definition: A phrase that always begins with a preposition followed by other words, lacking a nucleus but requiring two obligatory parts. Example: "Con heroína" (With heroin)

Vocabulary:

• Núcleo: Core/nucleus of the phrase
• Modificador (Mod): Modifier
• Determinante (Det): Determiner
• Enlace: Link word