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🔹 Deadjectival Nouns Ending in -ada

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The RAE explicitly gives A-ada: bobo → bobada as a pattern of deadjectival nominal derivation. With adjectives, -ada very often denotes a remark, action, behavior, or thing characteristic of somebody possessing the quality expressed by the adjective:

  • bobo → bobada
  • tonto → tontada
  • pendejo → pendejada

The meaning is therefore often "something typical of a person who is A," and many formations have a depreciative sense. Importantly, the RAE explains that many bases are substantivized adjectives (tonto → un tonto → tontada), so the boundary between A→N and N→N can sometimes overlap.

Ordered approximately by contemporary frequency and general usefulness.

#Spanish NounNoun in EnglishBase AdjectiveBase Adjective in English
1bobadanonsense; silly thing; foolish remarkbobosilly; foolish
2tontadasilly thing; foolish act or remarktontosilly; foolish
3salvajadasavage act; outrageous act; atrocitysalvajesavage; wild
4chuladawonderful/cool thing; showy or cheeky actchulocool; nice; pretty; cocky
5inocentadapractical joke; naïve act or remarkinocenteinnocent; naïve
6pendejadanonsense; stupid thing or remarkpendejofoolish; stupid
7fanfarronadaboast; boastful act or statementfanfarrónboastful; swaggering
8bravuconadaboast; swaggering or intimidating actbravucónboastful; blustering
9babosadanonsense; stupid remark or actionbabosofoolish; stupid; obnoxious
10cursiladatacky or overly sentimental thingcursitacky; affectedly sentimental
11patochadanonsense; absurd or foolish remarkpatosoclumsy; awkward
12españoladastereotypically/exaggeratedly Spanish act or representationespañolSpanish
13americanadastereotypically/exaggeratedly American thing or actamericanoAmerican
14mexicanadacharacteristically or stereotypically Mexican act/remarkmexicanoMexican
15valentonadaboast about one's courage; swaggering actvalentónboastfully brave; swaggering
16gringadaact or thing regarded as typical of a gringogringogringo; foreign/U.S., depending on region
17guarangadarude or discourteous actguarangorude; coarse
18baladronadaboast; swaggering statementbaladrónboastful; blustering
19boricuadaact or expression regarded as typically Puerto RicanboricuaPuerto Rican
20brutadafoolish/rash act or statementbrutofoolish; brutish
21pachotadanonsense; absurd or foolish remarkpatosoclumsy; awkward
A few important details:
  • patochada is especially interesting: the NGLE analyzes it from pato-so → pato-ch-ada, with a phonological change. It also gives pachotada as an American variant.
  • chulada has two analyses depending on meaning. RAE specifically recognizes a deadjectival interpretation from chulo 'lindo, bonito'.
  • guarangada is specifically Argentine and Uruguayan; brutada is Honduran.

Classification note:

Words like burrada, animalada, cochinada, marranada, gansada, etc. are not included in this A-ada table because the NGLE treats those principally as formations from animal nouns, so they belong more properly to N-ada.

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