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 |
| red wine | vino tinto | Masculine | Singular |
| A small table | Una mesa pequeña | Feminine | Singular |
| a lazy dog | un perro perezoso | Masculine | Singular |
| fat girls | chicas gordas | Feminine | Plural |
| An empty glass | Un vaso vacío | Masculine | Singular |
| a hot beer | una cerveza caliente | Feminine | Singular |
| two rich women | dos mujeres ricas | Feminine | Plural |
| The dry river | El rio seco | Masculine | Singular |
| clean cars | coches limpios | Masculine | Plural |
| a tall man | un hombre alto | Masculine | Singular |
| thin girls | chicas delgadas | Feminine | Plural |
| an easy task | una tarea fácil | Feminine | Singular |
| a cold beer | una cerveza fria | Feminine | Singular |
| A full glass | Un vaso lleno | Masculine | Singular |
| The good looking sisters | Las hermanas guapas | Feminine | Plural |
| 5 big houses | 5 casas grandes | Feminine | Plural |
| two poor women | dos mujeres pobres | Feminine | Plural |
| short journeys | viajes cortos | Masculine | Plural |
| a hardworking dog | un perro trabajador | Masculine | Singular |
| A red cat | Un gato rojo | Masculine | Singular |
| a strong man | un hombre fuerte | Masculine | Singular |
| dark colours | colores oscuros | Masculine | Plural |
| long journeys | viajes largos | Masculine | Plural |
| 5 small houses | 5 casas pequeñas | Feminine | Plural |
| A big table | Una mesa grande | Feminine | Singular |
| A bad book | un libro malo | Masculine | Singular |
| an interesting magazine | una revista interesante | Feminine | Singular |
| a short man | un hombre bajo | Masculine | Singular |
| a cheap hotel | un hotel barato | Masculine | Singular |
| The ugly sisters | Las hermanas feas | Feminine | Plural |
| a difficult task | una tarea difícil | Feminine | Singular |
| dirty cars | coches sucios | Masculine | Plural |
| a weak man | un hombre débil | Masculine | Singular |
| a expensive hotel | un hotel caro | Masculine | Singular |
| A narrow path | Un sendero estrecho | Masculine | Singular |
| an boring magazine | una revista aburrida | Feminine | Singular |
