Spanish adjectives change shape and usually follow the noun
An English adjective never changes: one red car, two red cars. It also comes before the noun. Spanish reverses both habits. Most adjectives come after the noun, and they change their ending to match the noun's gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural).
the red cars
“Red” stays the same and sits in front of the noun.
los coches rojos
rojos follows the noun and takes -os because coches is masculine plural.
Adjectives ending in -o have four forms
The dictionary form ends in -o. Switch to -a for feminine nouns and add -s for plurals.
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | el chico alto | los chicos altos |
| Feminine | la chica alta | las chicas altas |
Adjectives ending in -e or a consonant
These have one form for both genders. Only the plural changes: add -s after a vowel and -es after a consonant.
- un vecino amable → unas vecinas amables
- un examen difícil → unas preguntas difíciles
- joven → jóvenes: the written accent appears so the stress stays on the same syllable.
- feliz → felices: a final -z becomes -c before -es.
Two consonant groups do have a feminine
Nationalities and most adjectives in -or add -a: español → española, inglés → inglesa, trabajador → trabajadora. Comparatives such as mejor and mayor do not, and neither do superior, inferior, interior, or anterior.
Agree with the noun's gender, not its ending
El problema and el mapa are masculine, so you say un problema serio. La mano is feminine: la mano fría. Learn each noun with its article.
When one adjective describes a mix of masculine and feminine nouns, use the masculine plural: Mi hermano y mi hermana son altos.
After the noun by default, before it for quantity and emphasis
Descriptive adjectives go after the noun when they pick something out from others of its kind: una casa blanca (the white one, not the blue one), un libro interesante.
Words that count or limit the noun go before it: numbers and ordinals, and words such as mucho, poco, alguno, ninguno, varios, and cada. You also see a descriptive adjective before the noun when it adds emphasis or feeling rather than distinguishing: mi querida abuela, la blanca nieve.
Short forms before the noun
A few adjectives lose their ending when they come before a masculine singular noun. Grande shortens before any singular noun.
| Full form | Before the noun |
|---|---|
| bueno | un buen día |
| malo | un mal momento |
| primero | el primer capítulo |
| tercero | el tercer piso |
| alguno | algún día |
| ninguno | ningún problema |
| grande | un gran día · una gran idea |
Feminine nouns keep the full form: una buena idea, la primera vez.
Some adjectives mean something different before the noun
After the noun, these adjectives keep their literal meaning. Before it, they take a more figurative or subjective one.
| Adjective | Before the noun | After the noun |
|---|---|---|
| antiguo | mi antiguo jefe · my former boss | un edificio antiguo · an old building |
| cierto | cierta persona · a certain person | una historia cierta · a true story |
| grande | un gran hombre · a great man | un hombre grande · a big man |
| mismo | el mismo día · the same day | el director mismo · the director himself |
| nuevo | mi nuevo coche · my new (to me) car | un coche nuevo · a brand-new car |
| pobre | ¡pobre niño! · poor thing | un niño pobre · a child without money |
| solo | un solo café · just one coffee | un hombre solo · a man on his own |
| único | mi única oportunidad · my only chance | una oportunidad única · a unique chance |
| viejo | un viejo amigo · a long-time friend | un amigo viejo · an elderly friend |
The verb before an adjective carries meaning too
Ser or estar
ser presents a characteristic and estar a current state. Some adjectives change meaning with the verb: es aburrido (he's boring) versus está aburrido (he's bored).
Descriptions in the past
Past descriptions usually take the imperfect: La casa era grande y estaba muy tranquila. The imperfect sets the scene; the preterite moves the story on.
Make each form before you reveal it
Las películas eran muy ___. (interesante)
Say or form the answer before you check it.
Tenemos un problema muy ___. (serio)
Say or form the answer before you check it.
Mis vecinas son ___. (inglés)
Say or form the answer before you check it.
Hoy es un ___ día para empezar. (bueno)
Say or form the answer before you check it.
Los niños están muy ___. (feliz)
Say or form the answer before you check it.
Marta es una ___ amiga: nos conocemos desde los seis años. (viejo)
Say or form the answer before you check it.