Spanish Agent Nouns

[livingdeb]

Since I hate memorizing, I'm always looking for patterns when I'm studying Spanish. In the chapter on housing, I noticed a lot of words with similar endings and research showed that these were "agent nouns." These are nouns made out of verbs in a certain way to give you a person or object that does or helps you do the action of the noun. For example, a baker bakes, a walker helps you walk, and a cleaner helps you clean.

In Spanish, all verb infinitives end in "r." You make an agent noun by removing the "r" and adding either "-dor" or "-dora" (the former is masculine, the latter, feminine).

Here are some examples from Spanish that are the same as English:

* lavar = to wash; la lavadora = washing machine (aka washer)
* secar = to dry; la secadora = dryer
* tostar = to toast; la tostadora = toaster
* refrigerar = to air-condition, to refrigerate, to cool; el refrigerador = refrigerator
* congelar = to freeze; el congelador = freezer
* licuar = to blend, to liquifiy; la licuadora = blender
* batir = to beat, whisk, whip; la batidora = egg beaters, mixer
* jugar = to play; jugador/a = a player (one who plays)
* trabajar = to work; trabajador/a = the adjective "hardworking," but el/la trabajador/a = worker
* calcular = to calculate; la calculadora = calculator
* borrar = to erase; el borrador = eraser
* contestar = to answer; la contestadora = answering machine

These are a bit different:

* despertar = to wake up; la despertadora = alarm clock
* aspirar = to inhale, suck in, or vacuum; la aspiradora = vacuum cleaner
* comer = to eat; el comedor = dining room (a dining room helps you eat?)

And my favorite one:

* tener = to have; el tenedor = fork - which apparently helps you have things from other people's plates, or helps you have things that belong to people you are stabbing with it.

While I was playing with this, the song "Secret Agent Man" got stuck in my head. Love that song! I wondered if I could change the song to "Spanish Agent Noun," and decided that yes, I could.

Original lyrics:

Secret Agent Man

There's a man who leads a life of danger.
To everyone he meets he stays a stranger.
With every move he makes,
Another chance he takes.
Odds are he won't live to see tomorrow.

Secret agent man, secret agent man,
They've given you a number and taken away your name.

Beware of pretty faces that you find!
A pretty face can hide an evil mind.
Ah, be careful what you say
Or you'll give yourself away.
Odds are you won't live to see tomorrow.

Secret agent man, secret agent man,
They've given you a number and taken away your name.

[insrumental]

Secret agent man, secret agent man,
They've given you a number and taken away your name.

Swinging on the Riviera one day,
And then laying in the Bombay alley, next day.
Oh no, you let the wrong word slip
While kissing persuasive lips.
The odds are you won't live to see tomorrow.

Secret agent man, secret agent man,
They've given you a number and taken away your name.

Secret agent man!

Revised lyrics:

Spanish Agent Noun

There's a noun who leads a life of doing.
To everyone he meets, he's volunteering.
With every rising sun,
Another task is done.
Odds are you'll encounter him tomorrow.

Spanish agent noun, Spanish agent noun,
They've given you a "-dora" and taken away your "r."

Beware of pretty suffixes you find!
Pretty suffixes can be unkind.
Ah, be careful at the beach
Or she'll change your part of speech.
"Secar" may become "la secadora."

Spanish agent noun, Spanish agent noun,
They've given you a "-dora" and taken away your "r."

[instrumental]

Spanish agent noun, Spanish agent noun,
They've given you a "-dora" and taken away your "r."

Swinging as a verb of leisure one day,
And then working as an agent noun the next day.
Oh, no, you let your last “r” slip
While kissing -Dora's lips.
Odds are you'll be helping me tomorrow.

Spanish agent noun, Spanish agent noun,
They've given you a "-dora" and taken away your "r."

Spanish agent noun!

I was giggling the whole time I was working on this. Fun times.