OTHER & ANOTHER

OTHER & ANOTHER

·      Other and another can be used as an adjective or as a pronoun:

ADJECTIVE		PRONOUN
ENGLISH	SPANISH	ENGLISH	SPANISH
other	otros/as	others	otros/as
another	otro/a; alternativo, diferente	another	otro/a
the other	el otro/a; los otros/as	the other	el otro/a
		the others	los otros/as; los restantes, los que quedan

1.   OTHER/S

·       As an adjective, it goes without –s (like any other adjective). It can be followed by either a singular or plural noun. It implies that we are referring to a different thing:

ü  Other people enter the race to raise money for people in need. (Otras personas entraron en la competición para recaudar dinero para la gente necesitada)

ü  He can do other things. (Él puede hacer otras cosas)

ü  Are there any other alternatives? (¿Hay otras alternativas?)

ü  No other man can do what he does. (Ningún otro hombre puede hacer lo que él hace)

Note: We cannot say "no another man" despite the fact that "man" is a singular noun. This is simply because another cannot be preceded by "no", “some”, “any” or “the”, whereas other/s can (See Unit 5, Section B):

ü  I prefer the other car. (Prefiero el otro coche)

ü  The others are better. (Los otros son mejores = adverb)

ü  I like football and some other ball sports. (Me gusta el fútbol y algunos otros deportes que se juegan con pelota/balón)

ü  This is a tradition like any other. (Esta es una tradición como cualquier otra = adverb)

Note: It can be followed by one (singular) or ones (plural). It substitutes a singular or plural noun (respectively) that has been previously mentioned in order to avoid repetition:

ü  There is no other one. (No hay otro/a)

ü  I’d like four apples and she wants four other ones. (Querría cuatro manzanas y ella quiere otras cuatro)

·       As a pronoun, it takes one –s and substitutes a noun that has previously been mentioned:

ü  Let me look at these others. (Déjame mirar estos otros)

2.   THE OTHER/S

·       As an adjective, we use the other + singular or plural noun:

ü  Write it down on the other side of the page. (Anótalo en la otra cara de la página)

ü  Give me the other books, please. (Dame los otros libros, por favor)

Note: The other can be followed by one (singular) or ones (plural). It substitutes a singular or plural noun (respectively) that has been previously mentioned in order to avoid repetition:

ü  I know you like the red car, but I’ll choose the other one. (Ya sé que te gusta el coche rojo, pero yo escogería el otro)

ü  Two soldiers died in the mission. The other ones are still hospitalized. (Dos soldados murieron en la misión. Los otros están todavía hospitalizados)

·       As a pronoun, it takes one –s and substitutes a noun that has previously been mentioned:

ü  This car cost £ 8,000, and the others cost £ 10,000 upwards. (Este coche cuesta 8.000 libras y los otros cuestan de 10.000 libras en adelante)

 

Note: The others can also have the meaning of the rest or the ones left:

ü  If you tell Jane, I’ll tell the others. (Si tú se lo dices a Jane, yo se lo diré a los otros/al resto = the other people, the rest of people)

3.   ANOTHER

·      As an adjective, its literal meaning is an + other, so it is always followed by a singular noun. It implies that we are referring to a similar thing (one more).

ü  Can I have another cup of coffee? (¿Podría tomar otra taza de café?)

ü  I want another glass of water. (Quiero otro vaso de agua)

ü  Would you like another piece of cake? (¿Quiere otro trozo de tarta?)

Note: Another can also have the meaning of alternative, a different one:

ü  I would prefer another colour. (Preferiría otro color = a different one or a different alternative)

ü  That’s another type of house. (Ése es otro tipo de casa)

Note: It can be followed by one (which refers to a noun that has been previously mentioned):

ü  I have a good shirt, but I want another one. (Tengo una buena camisa, pero quiero otra).

Note: Another can also refer to groups such as a sum of money, a period of time, a distance, etc. (because, in English, they are considered as singular nouns. See Unit 1, Section D):

ü  I’ve spent £ 25 but I need another 15. (He gastado 25 libras pero necesito otras 15)

ü  I’ve run 30 miles and I could run another 30. (He corrido 30 millas y podría correr otras 30)

Note: We can also see another + of + plural noun because in fact we are referring to a singular construction:

ü  I got another of those calls yesterday. (Recibí otra de esas llamadas ayer = one more)

ü I've delivered all the flyers I had. Can I have another 50 of them? (He repartido todos los folletos que tenía. ¿Puedo coger otros 50? = one more group of 50)

·      As a pronoun, it substitutes the noun:

ü  I’ll have another. (Tomaré otro/a)