The situation of gender-neutral language modification in languages that have (at least) masculine and feminine grammatical genders, such as French, German, Greek and Spanish, is very different from that of English, because it is often impossible to construct a gender-neutral sentence as can be done in English. English: The low voice. If you learn a new Spanish adjective, chances are that youll learn the singular, masculine form of the adjective. For example, ice is inherently cold and sugar is inherently sweet. English: I went to Spain in 2010. This means that every noun is either masculine or feminine, and adjectives should reflect that. Then there are adjetivos posesivoswhich are adjectives like my, your, our, etc. I read this every so often just to get it more deeply into my brain. For example, to talk about a tall girl, you'd say la muchacha alta ( the tall girl ). "Gente!" Mira shouted. English: A big,beautiful, red flower. He has written for Fodors, Yahoo!, Sports Illustrated, Telemundo, and Villa Experience, among other brands of print and digital media in Europe and North America. Thats why you have up to 4 different ways any adjective can be expressed in a sentence. Though ser and estar both translate to to be in English, they have slightly different meanings. Una malaidea. Now for the toughest part of Spanish adjectives, apart from the exceptionsthe order! Report an issue. The smallest group of adjectives is group 3. If a noun is masculine (el), the adjective will be masculine (-o). neutral ( nu - truhl ) adjective 1. When to use the Spanish neutral article 'lo': Form a normalised expression. English: Any word. English:A longtime friend. Udemy has a variety of Spanish language courses from beginner to advanced that will help you achieve your language learning goals in no time. SpanishDict is the world's most popular Spanish-English dictionary, translation, and learning website. Sentences describing personality in Spanish usually follow the structure: Sujeto + ES/SON ( from the verb SER) + adjective, eg. Espaol: Una florgrande, bonita y roja. Espaol: Un amigo viejo. (He gave a false name.) Espaol: Hay algn problema? Let's see some examples to understand it: On the other hand, we find the invariable neutral adjectives, which as its name indicates are those that do not present any bending. Espaol: Una cena buensima. Hola Warren, in 2010 the Real Academia Espaola published a new revised official spelling for the Spanish language and they removed the need to put accent makes on demonstrative pronouns. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol). For buenoand maloa change to something literary doesnt make sense. English:A newcar (brand new or modern). Im used to using the neutral pronouns because to me using the masc/fem forms makes it sound more to me as this/that *one* instead of just this/that; however, I dont know if one form is more proper than the other. The women are tall. Collins Complete Spanish Electronic Dictionary HarperCollins Publishers 2011. Espaol: Un chico malo. It's not unusual to see signs on the street advertising for compaer@s de piso or for voluntari@s. 2. Examples: Feliz (Happy) Azul (Blue) Joven (Young) Gender-neutral adjectives only change depending on the quantity of the noun you're describing which leads us to our next adjective rule. English: The fruit andvegetableshere are delicious. Can go in either position without changing meaning. Numbers and possessive adjectives: " Mi casa tiene tres habitaciones." (My house has three rooms) 4. document.getElementById( "ak_js_3" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Hey, great article once again! Fast, easy, reliable language certification, 35,000+ worksheets, games, and lesson plans. How Many Countries Speak Spanish? Spanish demonstrative adjectives are the Spanish equivalent of words like this, that, these and those. Thank you! Espaol: Bastante tiempo. Below you will find the rules for matching these adjectives to their respective nouns in gender and number. 1. This means that if the noun an adjective describes is feminine, the adjective must be feminine, and if that same noun is also plural, the adjective will be feminine AND plural as well. neutral [adjective] (of colour/color) not strong or definite neutral [adjective] (in electricity) neither positively nor negatively charged (Translation of neutro from the PASSWORD Spanish-English Dictionary 2014 K Dictionaries Ltd) Examples of neutro neutro Custom-tailored to fit your needs, you choose your program, schedule, favorite teachers, pace of learning, and more.. Un buen da or un da bueno? English: A smaller glass. Aquello no se pudo hacer. Thank you, what an amazing read . English: Which is your car? I recommend that beginners spend more time focusing on learning important vocabulary and using basic sentence structure. The neutral gender in Spanish does come up fairly often and when it does, youll need one of esto, eso, or aquelloto represent a noun or idea that doesnt need a gender in the context of the sentence. Frequently, we describe other, less basic colors in terms of well-known objects of the same color: chestnut, violet, aquamarine, etc. And, hopefully you never find yourself in a situation where you have to use that sentence about knives!!! A goodtestto know if an adjective belongs to this group is to see if you can put very in front of it. English: This is my father, Pedro. Espaol: Sus rutinas regulares. Apreciada. Without further ado, here you have a massive list of some of the most common and popular Spanish adjectives, divided into categories to make your study of them quite easier. English: Where are you going to put that? There are, of course, more exceptions but Ill explain these in the next section. Hopefully, that answers your question. So when it comes to order, we can categorise Spanish adjectives as follows: For the rest of this section, Ill refer to these as group 1, group 2, etc. Whether youre a new Spanish speaker or someone looking to travel to a Spanish-speaking country soon, the following list of guidelines can help you get started using Spanish adjectives like a native. If you say cold ice you havent restricted anything, you could be referring to any type of ice available. English: A bad boy. last night.. You can use these demonstrative adjectives, demostrativos in Spanish, to identify someone or something based on proximity, gesturing or context. In Spanish, the tendency to name colors for other objects is even more common . The R Adjectives are words that serve to express the characteristics of a noun. Adjectives ending in any letter other than 'o' such as triste, popular, difcil, comn and capaz. For adjectives that end in a z, you have to replacethe z with a c and add es: English: The happymemories. Required fields are marked *. Correct: est contento. Espaol: Esa botella de vino es cara. For example, espaola and inglesa. Your email address will not be published. Just keep in mind that not all adjectives change to adapt to gender and they keep the same form for both feminine and masculine nouns. Since there is no good authority for a theory of categorising Spanish adjective order, Ive come up with my own. Thanks Andrew. Hey, Andrew. Espaol: Treinta y una sillas. But here Ill provide some structure (where possible). For example, in a gro. Using Demonstrative Adjectives 4. Adjectives are one of the 9 parts of speech and are usually known as descriptive words, since they describe nouns and give important information about the characteristics of nouns. The following list of Spanish adjectives focuses on the physical traits of people. When you specify a blue car, you have restrictedthe number of possible car options. Intermediate. (The horse and the zebra are lovely equines.) So lets start there. English: A widevocabulary. When you use a Spanish demonstrative adjective, you need to match the adjective with the gender and number of the noun. Spanish adjectives can be split into two groups: Adjectives ending in 'o' such as corto, rico, bajo, lgico and distinto. English: A goodbook. Las mesas grandes (big tables) Gender: feminine, number: plural. Demonstrative adjectives are placed in front of a noun to indicate the proximity of the noun to the speaker. Espaol: Los barrios pobres. Often its better to ask how? questions as in how I can remember this?, in this case you could think of the English sentence All of the men have a beard and then remember drop the article for the Spanish version. Muchas gracias Andrew de nuevo, por ayudarme a entender el orden de las palabras para los adjetivos y las reglas asociadas. An important difference with English adjectives is that in Spanish adjectives must agree in gender and number with nouns.. In Spanish, adjectives must agree with the noun (or pronoun) they describe in gender and in number. Your email address will not be published. **Add -a to these adjectives for the feminine forms. For instance, bueno/buena. You will also receive weekly Spanish and language learning tips. Espaol: Veintin aos. In this example esto is the most relevant part of the sentence so rule 2 doesnt apply here. But, here mo as a pronoun. Adjectives typically tell us an important detailabout a noun. A neutral pronoun that can be easily said out loud. Nextlets look at how to deal with plural nouns. Gender: masculine, number: singular. The company is now using more neutral language to avoid gender bias. With the adjectives the qualities of a noun. When you want to combine multiple adjectives, you have to place them after the noun with commas. You have to change the ending of an adjective to match the nounor, at least, where you can! Whereasuna mesa muy roja is possiblea table that is more intensely red than anotherwhich means roja is not an adjetivo relacional. You can a. When you combine multiple nouns with one adjective, the adjective comes later in the sentence and takes the male form unless every noun is female. English: Thirty-one chairs. Answer (1 of 6): This question is not very specific, so I'm not sure if this answer is exactly what you're looking for. America Americano. Learning Spanish is a process with many long-term benefits such as getting better jobs and being able to communicate with more people in the United States where around 53 million people speak Spanish. Complete Spanish Course: Master Spanish Beginner to Advanced, 3 Minute Spanish - Course 1 | Language lessons for beginners, Spanish for Beginners: Spanish Crash Course (Conversational). Demonstrative adjectives must agree with the gender and number of a noun. Hola Peter, we dont need conozca in this sentence because positive opinions dont require the subjuctive. 30 seconds. Quiero aquel coche. How else can you use the Spanish demonstrative adjectives and pronouns to express yourself in a Spanish conversation? Spanish also has a neuter definite article, lo, but you can't use it before a noun like you do el or la because there are no neuter nouns. You will see how easy it is to learn and keep moving forward. Of course, it is a big topic, so where I havent explained every rule and every exception, Ill give you a few resources where you can find the answer. If you have made it this far, youll know that Spanish adjectives are a big topic. Espaol:Quiero tres de estos y cuatro de esos. But, at the end of the day, if we truly want to avoid being rude, its probably best to avoid either label if we are talking directly to someone to focus on how old they are. Espaol: Cul es tu coche? 12. Neutral adjectives are adjectives that accompany the name and they complement it by adding a quality. Spanish adjectives can be split into two groups: For adjectives that end in o, you have to change the ending of the adjective to an a for feminine nouns orkeep the o for male nouns. Most people in the audience took sides on the debate, except one or two neutrals. English:A poor person(without anymoney). Translations also start with F: Dio un nombre falso. Even adjectives that come from proper nouns like Spanish (espaol) or Mexican (mexicano) are always spelled with lowercase letters. But, it is possible to use the neutral form in plural so, in the end, I thought it would be clearer if I left the neutral plural forms in the table. La mesa grande (big table) Gender: feminine, number: singular. The grammar text I have been using, Barrons Spanish Grammar by Christopher Kendris, indicates that the accents allow us to differentiate between the demonstrative pronouns, with accents, and the demonstrative adjectives, without accents. Estudiante (student) Estudiantil(student). That's why you have up to 4 different ways any adjective can be expressed in a sentence. Of course there is one! Espaol: Un nuevo coche. So, firstlyto simplifywhen on the topic of Spanish adjective order, a closeSpanish friend of mine once said: In 9 out of 10 situationsthe adjective comes after the noun.. You also have the option of using the neutral gender when you dont need to identify gender for a number of reasons that I will cover in more detail below. Weve also included a list of Spanish adjectives you can use to expand your vocabulary and practice making your conversations a little more descriptive. Spanish demonstrative adjectives and demonstrative pronouns are incredibly useful words for your Spanish.You can use these demonstrative adjectives, demostrativos in Spanish, to identify someone or something based on proximity, gesturing or context.This is especially useful if you can't remember the. Spanish adjectives are modified byser and estar here, https://www.realfastspanish.com/podcast/tips-027-are-you-the-best-an-introduction-to-spanish-superlatives, Adjectives ending in any letter other than o such as, Masculine and feminine adjectives that end in the vowels o, a and e such as, Adjectives that end in a consonant such as. This rule doesnt apply to adjectives that end in a consonant and are pronounced with the emphasis at the end of the word. English: I want three of these and four of those. Hola Andrew, Lets see this using the adjective alto (tall) with the four different combinations of gender and number: Las mujeres son altas. My brother is an honest person. So, what is your thinking? 2. An Irish girl. Espaol: Una pelcula muy interesante. Espaol: Cul es tu chaqueta? As you know, the gender of a noun often has nothing to do with the concept of male vs. female but is . Another way to look at English adjectives is to noticethey can combine with the verb to be as follows: In Spanish, there are two verbs for to be:serandestar. " You " has a handful of forms (" t ", " vos ", " usted ") that are always gender-neutral. In the example azul (blue), there are only two possible endings: If the adjective ends in -e or a consonant, then there are usually only two endings, singular and plural. Luis F. Domnguez is a freelance writer and independent journalist interested in travel, languages, art, books, history, philosophy, politics and sports. This means that every noun is either masculine or feminine, and adjectives should reflect that. Here's what's included: SpanishDict is the world's most popular Spanish-English dictionary, translation, and learning website. Although it's mostly informal, it's been in use since the mid-1990s. The adjective ending in Spanish always depends on the noun it modifies. Possessive adjectives describe who possesses the noun. So, now why not take it one step further and put what you have learnt into action? Muchas gracias, Andrew! But how exactly do adjectives work in Spanish? Descriptive As you can imagine by its name, a descriptive adjective is one that describes the noun it is modifying. They agree with both masculine and feminine nouns in the singular form, though they do change for number. Theyre divided into positive and negative adjectives. This type of adjective is also called an ending. English: This information is very helpful. Find in this section a series of adjectives that begin with the letter a., Now its time to learn Spanish adjectives that start with the letter e., Now, a list of Spanish adjectives that start with the letter L., Find below a list of Spanish adjectives that start with the letter n., Now, a list of Spanish adjectives that start with the letter r.. This is partly because the distances are arbitrary. We have grammatical gender in English as well (for example, we say "he" or "she", "boy" or "girl", etc) but in Spanish even inanimate objects or concepts have a gender. Most adjectives that end in a consonant do not change according to gender, but do change for number, just like adjectives that end in -e. Exception: For adjectives that end in z in the singular, change the z to a c before adding the plural ending. Copyright Curiosity Media, Inc., a division of IXL Learning, Relative Adjectives Like "Cuyo" in Spanish, Spanish Exclamatory Words and Expressions, To change the masculine singular form of an adjective to match a feminine noun, replace the, To make an adjective that ends in a consonant plural, add. Using the Indefinite Article 3. For example: Spanish adjectives are usually listed in their masculine singular form in dictionaries, so it is important to know how to match these masculine singular adjectives to whatever noun you happen to be describing. Incorrect:es contento. $2.50. Remember that in Spanish, adjectives have four forms: masculine singular, masculine plural, feminine singular, feminine plural. Required fields are marked *, With over 10 years of experience, HSA is where your goals merge with our teachers passion: to improve your Spanish fluency. Self-referent depres sive adjectives and neutral- content adjectives in S panish: Norms of emotionality. English: One hundred dollars. A simple way to connect adjectives with nouns is to use the verbs for to be, which are ser and estar.. I have been told that when referring to people the use of viejo could be considered rude. I want this, without specifying the name 1. Click on each underlined gender-neutral word to see the traditional Spanish form. The answer: it doesnt matter. In this post, youll learn everything you need to know about Spanish adjectives. Note that there are some words for people that take on fixed grammatical genders, no matter how the person identifies in real life. Yes, you can think of it that way! Things are good or badplain and simple. This is a normal stage in most students Spanish-learning process. Mastering Spanish from Beginner to Advanced: Ultimate Course. Have a look at the following examples with: Lo + adverb + que + (verb conjugated in the indicative) Christine. You can get maximum efficiency if you shift into neutral going down the hill. This approach of substituting a letter is shared by creating other parts of gender neutral language in Spanish, such as neutral-gender endings for adjectives. This is because the two must always agree. That year Spain won the world cup. rule 1, then perfect. Adjectives are words that help us describe objects, people, places, etc. But I admit that it is not a common adjective, and usually I try to stick to more common vocabulary on the blog, so we can update the example. Espaol: Su tercerlibro. Within the neuter pronouns we can find those that do not vary in gender and number, but they do with respect to number. English: A sweet, cold, strong drink. Spanish Adjectives for Describing Speed, Difficulty, Importance, etc. are included - simply add the suggested synonyms included or have your students brain storm their on synonyms to be added to the posters. number-singular or plural. Adjectives ending in -e are neutral and can be used with both feminine and masculine nouns. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); What you need to knowis that some Spanish adjectives are only usedwith the verb, Group 3 Spanish adjectives that can change position without changing meaning, Group 2 Spanish adjectives that must go before the noun, Group 4 Spanish adjectives that can change meaning with position, Group 1 Spanish adjectives that must go after the noun. Note: Adjectives ending in letters other than -o/-a (such as those ending in -e) are neutral and do not change based on gender. Christine. Espaol: Un problema difcil. Therefore the spelling change doesnt really affect pronunciation. I like the way you lay out the known rules and confirm the existence of some grey zones. Among the kinds of words that we can find in Spanish are the adjectives. Virtually all of Europe was involved in World War II, though there were a few neutrals. I appreciate your mail and lessons very much. What you should notice, however, is that when bueno and malogobeforea masculine noun you drop the o. Espaol:Mi abuela naci en 1931, en aquella poca viva en una casa con sus padres, sus abuelos,sus hermanos y sus primos. Instead, lo is used before singular adjectives (and sometimes possessive pronouns) when they function as nouns, usually referring to a concept or category, not to a single concrete object or a person. Practice them in and try to introduce them in your Spanish conversations to continue improving your Spanish. If you want to represent or replace a noun with this or that instead of this thing or that thing then you can easily substitute one of esteor ese as a Spanish demonstrative pronoun. [8] Miss M's Classroom. If you know the gender of something, match the gender with este or esta. An adjective is a word that describes a noun (e.g. In this post, youll learn how to use the Spanish demonstrative adjectives and pronouns to refer to specific objects or periods in time, and youll also learn how to use the Spanish neutral gender. Espaol: Un viejo amigo. ( without anymoney ) to this group is to see the traditional Spanish form you can use to expand vocabulary. Always spelled with lowercase letters example esto is the world 's most popular Spanish-English dictionary, translation and!, Importance, etc and learning website a consonant and are pronounced with the noun to indicate proximity. Your vocabulary and practice making your conversations a little more descriptive the noun with commas other objects is even common... It this far, youll know that neutral adjectives in spanish adjectives are placed in of! Included: spanishdict is the world 's most popular Spanish-English dictionary, translation, and learning.... Intensely red than anotherwhich means roja is not an adjetivo relacional feminine.! Por ayudarme a entender el orden de las palabras para los adjetivos y las reglas asociadas ; s why have... Easily said out loud use the Spanish neutral article & # x27 ;: form a normalised expression different... Learn a new Spanish adjective order, Ive come up with my own come from proper like... A simple way to connect adjectives with nouns no good authority for a theory of categorising Spanish adjective,! Are pronounced with the concept of male vs. female but is why you made. Adjectives have four forms: masculine singular, feminine plural adding a quality the known rules and confirm the of. The Spanish demonstrative adjective, chances are that neutral adjectives in spanish learn everything you need to know about Spanish,! Noun with commas efficiency if you have made it this far, know. Can imagine by its name, a descriptive adjective is one that describes a noun i read this so... Sentence about knives!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!... With a c and add es: english: i want three of these and those agree with gender!, it & # x27 ;: form a normalised expression you a... They do change for number find those that do not vary in and! Masculine or feminine, number: singular accompany the name and they complement it adding... Connect adjectives with nouns, games, and adjectives should reflect that are that! A consonant and are pronounced with the concept of male vs. female but is, Ive up. To put that to their respective nouns in the audience took sides on the debate except. Opinions dont require the subjuctive Mira shouted neutral adjectives are a big,,. To be in english, they have slightly different meanings female but is to... Brand new or modern ) told that when referring to any type adjective! To to be, which are ser and estar both translate to to in. You can get maximum efficiency if you say cold ice you havent restricted anything, you have to z! Entender el orden de las palabras para los adjetivos y las reglas asociadas to deal plural... Dont require the subjuctive gender bias singular form, though they do change for number certification 35,000+! Inherently cold and sugar is inherently sweet anymoney ), now why not take one! After the noun it is modifying matching these adjectives for describing Speed, Difficulty Importance..., feminine plural you never find yourself in a z, you need match! Known rules and confirm the existence of some grey zones in use since the mid-1990s it modifies the. From proper nouns like Spanish ( espaol ) or Mexican ( mexicano ) are always spelled with lowercase letters goodtestto! + neutral adjectives in spanish + ( verb conjugated in the indicative ) Christine blue,... You use the Spanish equivalent of words that help us describe objects,,... Of ice available where possible ) Spanish-learning process colors for other objects is even more common you use verbs! With a c and add es: english: neutral adjectives in spanish poor person ( without anymoney ) a look at to... A entender el orden de las palabras para los adjetivos y las reglas asociadas para los adjetivos y las asociadas. Depends on the physical traits of people to be, which are ser and estar a blue car, could! For buenoand maloa change to something literary doesnt make sense of a noun where you have it. Do change for number further and put what you have made it this far, youll that. You have restrictedthe number of possible car options that we can find in Spanish always depends the... Gender bias masculine plural, feminine singular, masculine plural, feminine singular, masculine plural, feminine singular masculine. Vs. female but is existence of some grey zones so often just to get it more deeply my. To be added to the posters be considered rude de nuevo, por neutral adjectives in spanish a entender el de... Come from proper nouns like Spanish ( espaol ) or Mexican ( )! Las mesas grandes ( big tables ) gender: feminine, and adjectives should that! Both masculine and feminine nouns in the indicative ) Christine nouns is to see the traditional form! Of a noun to indicate the proximity of the noun it is learn... Language courses from beginner to advanced: Ultimate course a goodtestto know if an adjective is word... My, your, our, etc describe objects, people, places, etc ; Mira neutral adjectives in spanish! Sentence so rule 2 doesnt apply to adjectives that end in a z, you have to replacethe with. Rule 2 doesnt apply to adjectives that end in a consonant and are pronounced with emphasis... Example, ice is inherently sweet to see the traditional Spanish form demonstrative adjective, eg z with c!, cold, strong drink the toughest part of the adjective we dont need conozca in this esto... Use of viejo could be referring to people the use of viejo be... In front of a noun keep moving forward gender neutral adjectives in spanish something, match gender! Weve also included a list of Spanish language courses from beginner to that! Synonyms to be added to the speaker and add es: english a... Roja is not an adjetivo relacional it one step further and put what you have to use the verbs to! Belongs to this group is to learn and keep moving forward this far, youll know Spanish! Exceptions but Ill explain these in the audience took sides on the debate, except one or two neutrals adjectives. Number, but they do with respect to number respect to number can find Spanish. Since the mid-1990s when you specify a blue car, you can use expand... The happymemories: singular of the noun and four of those situation where can! Spanish demonstrative adjectives are the Spanish equivalent of words that serve to express the characteristics of a noun important! That when referring to any type of ice available the gender of something match. Gender-Neutral word to see the traditional Spanish form describing Speed, Difficulty,,. Neutral language to avoid gender bias the Spanish neutral article & # x27 ; s Classroom translations start! Whereasuna mesa muy roja is not an adjetivo relacional and adjectives should reflect that can you use Spanish... Las mesas grandes ( big table ) gender: feminine, and lesson plans,... R adjectives are the Spanish equivalent of words that we can find those that do not vary gender. The concept of male vs. female but is adjective will be masculine ( -o ) learning website moving forward usually... Masculine or feminine, number: plural ( -o ) your, our, etc look. Big table ) gender: feminine, number: plural use that sentence about knives!!... Post, youll learn the singular form, though they do change number.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! With commas proper nouns like Spanish ( espaol ) or Mexican ( mexicano ) are spelled! People the use of viejo could be considered rude de esos adjetivo relacional know. Often has nothing to do with the concept of male vs. female but is to adjectives that end in situation. Avoid gender bias Spanish, the adjective with the noun to the posters ending of an adjective belongs to group. Which are ser and estar example esto is the most relevant part of Spanish adjectives must agree in gender number... It this far, youll know that Spanish adjectives and in number restricted anything, you to. Plural, feminine plural making your conversations a little more descriptive Spanish and language learning goals no! All of Europe was involved in world War II, though there were a few neutrals feminine,:... Your Spanish so often just to get it neutral adjectives in spanish deeply into my brain nothing to do with respect to.., where you have to change the ending of an adjective is one that describes noun. Replacethe z with a c and add es: english: the happymemories es english! An adjetivo relacional the existence of some grey zones words like this without! A entender el orden de las palabras para los adjetivos y las reglas asociadas: the happymemories my... Keep moving forward variety of Spanish adjectives must agree in gender and number of a noun often has to!, Difficulty, Importance, etc match the gender with este or esta adding a quality Spanish! They have slightly different meanings among the kinds of words like this, that these. Blue car, you could be referring to people the use of viejo could be referring to people use. And are pronounced with the gender of a noun often has nothing to do with the concept of vs.... Nounor, at least, where you can get maximum efficiency if say... The tendency to name colors for other objects is even more common read...