Adjectives in Spanish
Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns, giving more detail about people, places, things, or ideas. In Spanish, adjectives must agree in gender and number with the nouns they describe, which means their endings often change to match masculine or feminine, singular or plural forms. Understanding this agreement is key to creating accurate and natural-sounding sentences.
Adjectives describe nouns and must agree in gender and number.
1. Gender Agreement
- -o → masculine, -a → feminine
- el gato negro / la gata negra
- el gato negro / la gata negra
- -e or consonant → same for both genders
- el profesor joven / la profesora joven
- el profesor joven / la profesora joven
2. Number Agreement
Adjectives also match singular/plural:
- el perro blanco / los perros blancos
- la casa bonita / las casas bonitas
3. Placement
Usually come after the noun:
- una casa bonita
Some come before when subjective: - un buen amigo, una gran idea
4. Irregular Shortened Forms
- bueno → buen
- malo → mal
- grande → gran
- primero → primer
5. Practice
- el chico alto / los chicos altos
- la chica alta / las chicas altas
Noun–Adjective Agreement: Special Cases
1. Meaning Changes by Position
- un gran artista → a great artist
- una casa grande → a big house
- un viejo amigo → a longtime friend
- un amigo viejo → an old (aged) friend
2. Shortened (Apocopated) Adjectives
- uno → un libro
- bueno → buen amigo
- malo → mal día
- alguno → algún problema
- ninguno → ningún error
3. Adjectives That Stay the Same
- inteligente, joven, feliz, interesante
4. Nationality Adjectives
Add -a for feminine:
- español → española
- francés → francesa
5. Invariable Adjectives
- color café / color naranja → don’t change
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