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