Definition: A noun that refers to things that normally are not counted. An example of an uncountable noun is "courage" (coraje in Spanish). Normally, this word exists in the singular form only. It is possible to quantify such a noun by using "much" (mucho in Spanish), as in "He has much courage" (Tiene mucho valor). It is also possible to quantify some uncountable nouns by using a measurement followed by "of" (de in Spanish), such as in "a liter of milk" (un litro de leche). Some nouns are countable or uncountable, depending on how they are used. For example, in normal usage, "salt" (sal) is uncountable. But a chemist might talk about different types of metallic salts (sales metálicas), in which case the word is being used as a countable noun. Common types of uncountable nouns include personal qualities (such as "thoughtfulness" or consideración), liquids (such as "coffee" or café), and abstractions ("justice" or justicia). In Spanish, the grammatical significance of uncountable nouns is that they generally are not preceded by an article when talking about a portion. Example: Necesito sal. ("I need salt.") The speaker doesn't need all the salt, just a portion. Similarly, the nouns aren't accompanied by articles in sentences such as "Bebían leche" ("They drank milk.") and "Compraramos gasolina" ("We will buy gasoline.")
Also Known As: Nombre incontable in Spanish; "mass noun," "non-count noun" or "partitive noun" in English.
Examples: Boldface nouns are uncountable nouns: The light propagates in all directions. (La luz se propaga in todas dirrectiones.) Compré dos libras de azúcar. (I bought two pounds of sugar.) La fidelidad matrimonial no tiene que ser un sueño. (Marital faithfulness doesn't have to be a dream.)
