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