When an English 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 |
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