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