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