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Use of mínimo and mínima
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We received an interesting question from a Fluenz user recently:
Does this adjetive have to agree with the noun? In level 4, lesson 19, 'write the words you read', it shows the phrase 'one week minimum'. Fluenz translates it as 'una semana mínimo'. But why not 'una semana mínima'? If mínimo is correct, when is mínima used?
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In Spanish, the adjective mínimo can be used both as an adjective that agrees with the noun (mínima) or as an adverb (mínimo) when indicating a minimum amount or extent.
In the phrase "una semana mínimo," mínimo is functioning as an adverb, meaning "at least" or "a minimum of." It's similar to saying "one week at a minimum" in English, which is why it doesn't need to agree with the noun semana.If you were describing something as the "smallest" or "least" of its kind, then you would use the adjective form that agrees with the noun, for example:
una cantidad mínima (a minimum amount)
una duración mínima (a minimum duration)
In summary:Mínimo (adverb): "una semana mínimo" (one week minimum)
Mínima (adjective): "una semana mínima duración" (a week with minimum duration)
