Adjectives in Spanish

Lesson - how to use adjectives in Spanish

• Adjectives describe or modify nouns; for example words like big, blue, late, lazy, etc.
• In Spanish the adjective typically comes after the noun whereas in English adjectives may occur before or after.
• Spanish adjectives change their endings to 'agree' in gender and number with the noun or noun phrase that they are modifying. For example:

  ventana abierta	open window
  caso abierto	open case
  ventanas abiertas	open windows
  casos abiertos	open cases

• Masculine adjectives end in -o and adjectives that end in -a are generally feminine.
• Adjectives that end in -e can be used with feminine and masculine nouns; the article indicates gender. For example: la casa verde - the green house, el vidrio verde - the green glass.
• When the adjective modifies a plural noun, add -s to the adjective. For example: Las casas verdes, los vidrios verdes.
• If a masculine or feminine adjective ends in a consonant, add -es to make the adjective plural. For example: El marido fiel - Los maridos fieles. - The faithful husbands
• If a masculine or feminine adjective ends in a "z", add -ces to make the adjective plural. For example: El niño feliz - Los niños felices. - The happy children.

Details and examples of Spanish adjective use

Adjectives tell you something about the noun or noun phrase, for example:

• La alumna colombiana. The Colombian student.
• El profesor venezolano. The Venezuelan teacher.

Adjectives that end in -o are masculine:

• Un amigo argentino. An Argentinian friend.
• El curso divertido. The fun course.
• El muchacho guapo. The handsome boy.

Masculine plurals end in -os:

• Los amigos argentinos. The Argentinian friends.
• Los cursos divertidos. The fun courses.
• Los muchachos guapos. The handsome boys.

Adjectives that end in -a are usually feminine:

• La muchacha bonita. The pretty girl.
• La escuela antigua. The old school.
• La amiga simpática. The nice friend.

Feminine plurals end in -as:

• Las muchachas bonitas. The pretty girls.
• Las escuelas antiguas. The old schools.
• Las amigas simpáticas. The nice friends.

Some adjectives end in -e and the plural form ends in -es:

• El curso interesante. The interesting course. Las clases interesantes. The interesting classes.
• La alumna inteligente. The intelligent student. Los alumnos inteligentes. The intelligent students.

Some adjectives in Spanish end in a consonant and the plural is formed with -es:
El curso difícil – Los cursos difíciles.

Interactive Grammar Exercise on Spanish Adjectives