How to use adjectives in Spanish.
Tutorial about Spanish Adjectives
When an Enlish speaker learns Spanish there are 3 things that at first may be difficult when learning the adjectives.
1.
Word Order
In Spanish the adjective goes after the noun. In English it is the opposite.
Eg. In English we say: "A red book" but in Spanish we say "A book red"
Eg. A red book = Un libro rojo.
2.
Gender
All the nouns
in Spanish are either masculine or feminine and when we use an adjective
they must agree with the gender of the noun.
So if the noun is masculine we use an "o" Eg. "un chico guapo" (a good looking boy)
but with a feminine noun we use an "a" Eg. "una chica guapa" (a good looking girl)
Note.There are
also a lot of adjectives that do not have an "a" or "o" ending eg.
verde= green in which case there is no difference when you use them
with masculine or feminine nouns.
3.
Singular and Plural
The adjective must
agree in number so if the noun is plural so is the adjective.
Eg. "un libro negro" = a black book - unos libros negros = some black books
| Noun | Adjective | Translation |
| Una chica | guapa | A pretty girl |
| Unas chicas | guapas | Some pretty girls |
| Un libro | rojo | A red book |
| Unos libros | rojos | Some red books |
Instructions
You can use the Flashcard exercise below to get accustomed to how the adjectives work in Spanish. Click "restart" to start.There is another page which will help you learn the basic Spanish adjectives here.
The content of the flashcards
| English | Spanish | Gender | Number |
| a cheap hotel | un hotel barato | Masculine | Singular |
| fat girls | chicas gordas | Feminine | Plural |
| a cold beer | una cerveza fria | Feminine | Singular |
| The ugly sisters | Las hermanas feas | Feminine | Plural |
| two rich women | dos mujeres ricas | Feminine | Plural |
| dark colours | colores oscuros | Masculine | Plural |
| an easy task | una tarea fácil | Feminine | Singular |
| an interesting magazine | una revista interesante | Feminine | Singular |
| A small table | Una mesa pequeña | Feminine | Singular |
| a lazy dog | un perro perezoso | Masculine | Singular |
| The good looking sisters | Las hermanas guapas | Feminine | Plural |
| a hot beer | una cerveza caliente | Feminine | Singular |
| 5 big houses | 5 casas grandes | Feminine | Plural |
| The dry river | El rio seco | Masculine | Singular |
| long journeys | viajes largos | Masculine | Plural |
| a expensive hotel | un hotel caro | Masculine | Singular |
| dirty cars | coches sucios | Masculine | Plural |
| a hardworking dog | un perro trabajador | Masculine | Singular |
| short journeys | viajes cortos | Masculine | Plural |
| two poor women | dos mujeres pobres | Feminine | Plural |
| An empty glass | Un vaso vacío | Masculine | Singular |
| thin girls | chicas delgadas | Feminine | Plural |
| a tall man | un hombre alto | Masculine | Singular |
| A narrow path | Un sendero estrecho | Masculine | Singular |
| red wine | vino tinto | Masculine | Singular |
| 5 small houses | 5 casas pequeñas | Feminine | Plural |
| clean cars | coches limpios | Masculine | Plural |
| a weak man | un hombre débil | Masculine | Singular |
| A full glass | Un vaso lleno | Masculine | Singular |
| a strong man | un hombre fuerte | Masculine | Singular |
| an boring magazine | una revista aburrida | Feminine | Singular |
| A bad book | un libro malo | Masculine | Singular |
| A big table | Una mesa grande | Feminine | Singular |
| a short man | un hombre bajo | Masculine | Singular |
| a difficult task | una tarea difícil | Feminine | Singular |
| A red cat | Un gato rojo | Masculine | Singular |
