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