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