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