Mejor excusa/excusa mejor

[seafloor]

Necesitarás una excusa mejor para faltar a clase hoy.
Necesitarás una mejor excusa para faltar a clase hoy.

Are both correct? Also if they are, is there any difference? I'm not sure how "mejor" changes depending on the position.

Thanks!

 

[unok-kun]

It's "una excusa mejor". In Spanish, the only difference between comparatives and superlatives is the position and the presence of the defined article in the superlative. So "una excusa mejor" is "a better excuse", while "la mejor excusa" is "the best excuse".

(Actually "una mejor excusa" would be correct for "a better excuse", but it sounds old.)

PS: Wouldn't this topic go in the grammar section, rather?

 

[seafloor]

So, "una mejor excusa" would be correct as well, but it doesn't sound as natural?

And I posted this in vocabulary because I was just dealing with "Words, phrases and idioms." So I guess it's in the right place?

Thanks for the help!

 

[fenixpollo]

So, "una mejor excusa" would be correct as well, but it doesn't sound as natural?

That's right. The most common order is (noun + adjective), but that can be reversed in many situations. In this one, however, it's typically not reversed, so it sounds awkward.

And I posted this in vocabulary because I was just dealing with "Words, phrases and idioms." So I guess it's in the right place?

No, the Vocabulary forum is for the translation of words, phrases and idioms -- in other words, it's for questions about meaning. Questions about word order, sentence structure, parts of speech and other questions should go in the Grammar forum. I've moved this thread to Grammar.

 

[seafloor]

Oh I see, well thanks for moving it to the right place then. And thanks for the clarification too!

 

[Corintio44]

También se puede emplear el término "pretexto" en lugar de "excusa."