Adjectives in Spanish (how to use, rules and agreement)
Spanish Colours A1 Describing objects and people
In this lesson you will learn how to use adjectives in Spanish and their agreements. Let's get started!
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What are adjectives?
Adjectives are words that describe things, telling us more about their characteristics and qualities.
-
El árbol grande (The big tree)provides information about the size
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Días felices (Happy days)provides information about a feeling
Spanish adjective agreement
In Spanish, adjectives generally agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. However, there are some irregular adjectives and exceptions to this rule.
Gender agreement of adjectives
Adjectives ending in "-o" change into "-a" for the feminine.
| Gender | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | El chico rubio | The blond boy |
| Feminine | La chica rubia | The blond girl |
Adjectives ending in any vowel other than "-o" or with an accent, do not change their form in feminine.
| Gender | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | El pantalón naranja | The orange trousers |
| Feminine | La casa naranja | The orange house |
Adjectives ending in "-or", usually change to "-ora" in feminine.
| Gender | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | Un chico encantador | A charming boy |
| Feminine | Una chica encantadora | A charming girl |
Adjectives ending in a consonant do not change for their feminine form.
| Gender | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | Un libro fácil | An easy book |
| Feminine | Una prueba fácil | An easy test |
Sometimes, adjectives ending in a consonant change for their feminine form. It often happens with nationalities.
El vino español (The Spanish wine) La comida española (The Spanish food)
Plural agreement of adjectives
Adjectives ending with a non-accented vowel end on "-s" in their plural form.
| Number | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | El coche viejo | The old car |
| Plural | Los coches viejos | The old cars |
For adjectives ending with a consonant, add "-es" to form the plural.
| Number | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | La persona joven | The young person |
| Plural | Las personas jóvenes | The young people |
In Spanish, adjectives ending with "-z" take the plural ending "-ces".
| Number | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | Un momento feliz | A happy moment |
| Plural | Unos momentos felices | Some happy moments |
Adjective endings in plural endings can vary "-s", "-es", "-ces".
Listening exercise
This table demonstrates the adjective agreement of Spanish adjectives.
| Spanish | English | |
|---|---|---|
| María | Ayer me compré un vestido naranja en una tienda de segunda mano. | Yesterday I bought an orange dress at a thrift store. |
| Daniel | ¡Qué bien! ¿Es fácil encontrar ropa en esa tienda? | That's great! Is it easy to find clothes in that store? |
| María | ¡Sí, lo es! Además, la dependienta es encantadora y española. | Yes it is! Also, the shop assistant is charming and Spanish. |
| Daniel | ¡Genial! Se te ve muy feliz. Gracias por la recomendación. | Great! You seem very happy. Thanks for the recommendation. |
Word order of adjectives in a sentence in Spanish
Usually, adjectives are placed after the noun they describe.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| La casa azul | The blue house |
| La niña pequeña | The small girl |
However, there are specific cases when adjectives are placed before the noun.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Cinco meses | Five months |
| Cada año | Every year |
| Buen ambiente | Good environment |
Sometimes adjectives can be placed both before or after the noun, but they change the meaning of the sentence.
| Meaning | Spanish | English |
| "Old" means "long-standing" | Un viejo amigo | An old friend |
| "Old" means "aged" | Un amigo viejo | An old friend |
Listening exercise
In this dialogue the different possible positions of adjectives in sentences are visualised.
| Spanish | English | |
|---|---|---|
| María | ¿Has visto mi pequeño libro azul? | Have you seen my little blue book? |
| Daniel | No lo he visto. ¿Es el libro que te regaló tu viejo amigo Alex? | I haven't seen it. Is it the book your old friend Alex gave you? |
| María | Sí, es ese. Es un buen libro y le tengo mucho cariño. | Yes, that's the one. It's a good book, and I hold it dear. |
| Daniel | En cinco minutos te ayudo a buscarlo. | I'll help you look for it in five minutes. |
Key takeaways
Here is a quick summary of this lesson.
- Adjectives describe things and tells us more about their characteristics.
- Adjectives generally agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.
- They can be placed before or after the noun.
Important! Practise this lesson with a teacher.
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