Inklingo

How to Say "such" in Spanish

English → Spanish

tal

/tal//tal/

AdjectiveB1General
Use 'tal' when you want to emphasize a specific quality or characteristic of something, often introducing it for the first time.
A person looking with amazement at a very large and beautifully decorated cake, emphasizing its special quality.

Examples

Nunca había visto tal belleza en mi vida.

I had never seen such beauty in my life.

Tal comportamiento no será tolerado aquí.

Such behavior will not be tolerated here.

El tal Pérez no ha llegado todavía.

That Pérez fellow hasn't arrived yet.

A Spotlight Word

Think of 'tal' as a spotlight you shine on a noun to say 'this kind of' or 'a noun like this'. It often shows surprise, admiration, or disapproval.

Plural Form

'Tal' changes to 'tales' when the noun it describes is plural. For example: 'tal problema' (one problem) becomes 'tales problemas' (many problems).

Don't Add 'Un' or 'Una'

Mistake: “No quiero un tal problema.”

Correction: No quiero tal problema. 'Tal' already includes the idea of 'a' or 'an', so you usually don't need to add 'un' or 'una' with it.

tales

/TAH-less//ˈtales/

AdjectiveB1General
Use 'tales' when referring to things or people that have already been mentioned in the conversation or text, acting as a plural demonstrative adjective.
A young child pointing definitively at a red toy train that is sitting on the floor next to a blue toy car, indicating the train is the specific one previously mentioned.

Examples

Tienen muchos problemas financieros. Tales problemas requieren soluciones urgentes.

They have many financial problems. Such problems require urgent solutions.

Vimos leones y tigres. No había tales animales en el zoológico de antes.

We saw lions and tigers. There weren't such animals in the previous zoo.

Si tienes tales ideas, debes compartirlas con el equipo.

If you have such ideas, you must share them with the team.

Always Plural

Remember 'tales' is the plural form of 'tal.' It can be used with both masculine and feminine plural nouns (e.g., 'tales libros' and 'tales casas').

Referring Back

This word works like a pointer, summarizing the qualities or type of noun you just mentioned, similar to saying 'these kinds of' in English.

Tal vs. Tales

The most common mistake is using 'tal' when you need the plural 'tales' to refer back to previously mentioned items. Remember that 'tal' is singular and usually introduces something new, while 'tales' is plural and refers to what's already known.

Related Translations

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