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