1. Intro to Spanish Adjectives: Agreement & Placement
Master Spanish adjectives by learning gender, number agreement, and correct word order. Perfect for beginning learners.
This is the first of a 6 part series on Adjectives.
- Intro to Spanish Adjectives: Agreement & Placement
- Formation and Placement
- Comparisons and Superlatives
- Past Participles
- Todo
- Indefinite Adjective
Introduction to Spanish Adjectives
Getting comfortable with adjectives in Spanish can feel both exciting and challenging. I remember how thrilled I was the first time I noticed my Spanish sentences sounding more descriptive, but I also recall getting tangled when deciding which form of the adjective to use or where to place it. Let’s explore these details together in an everyday, student-friendly way, keeping in mind that we’re all learners here.
Adjectives in a Nutshell
Adjectives, or adjetivos, add color and personality to nouns (sustantivos) and pronouns (pronombres). Spanish adjectives work differently than English adjectives. While English adjectives usually come before the noun and never change form, Spanish adjectives often come after the noun, and they must change depending on the noun’s gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural).
Agreement in Gender and Number
This idea of “agreement” might sound formal, but it simply means matching the adjective’s ending to whatever it describes. If a noun is masculine and singular, you use a masculine singular adjective. If it’s feminine and plural, choose the feminine plural form.
Quick Reference Table
| Form | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine Singular (-o) | el niño alto | the tall boy |
| Masculine Plural (-os) | los niños altos | the tall boys |
| Feminine Singular (-a) | la niña alta | the tall girl |
| Feminine Plural (-as) | las niñas altas | the tall girls |
Many adjectives end in -o or -a, but some end in -e or a consonant. For those, you don’t switch from -o to -a; you just add -s or -es to make them plural. Examples include grande → grandes, and fácil → fáciles.
Placement of Adjectives
Unlike English, Spanish adjectives often follow the noun. However, numbers (like ocho años) and certain adjectives (such as muchos or pocos) come before the noun. You may also see adjectives like bueno or malo before the noun for emphasis: un buen amigo (a good friend). But in general, the pattern is noun + adjective. Note that sometimes the meaning changes depending on placement:
- un gran hombre = a great man
- un hombre grande = a big man
Adjectives vs. Adverbs
In Spanish, adjectives describe nouns, while adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. In English, people sometimes say “drive slow,” using the adjective slow instead of the adverb slowly. This casual use might be acceptable in everyday English, but in Spanish, you should stick to the adverb form when describing a verb.
- Juan escribe bien (Juan writes well).
- Necesitas manejar lentamente (You need to drive slowly).
Remember: adjective → modifies a noun or pronoun. adverb → modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb.
Practice Exercises
Exercise A: Agreement and Placement
- Rewrite the following phrases, placing adjectives correctly and matching them in number and gender.
a) una / limpia / cocina
b) el / libro / interesante
c) las / verdes / manzanas
d) ocho / años - Translate these English phrases into Spanish. Make sure you use the proper agreement and placement.
a) a clean table
b) the tall girls
c) five books
d) the pretty house
Show Exercise A Answers
-
a) una cocina limpia
b) el libro interesante
c) las manzanas verdes
d) ocho años -
a) una mesa limpia
b) las chicas altas
c) cinco libros
d) la casa bonita
Exercise B: Adjectives vs. Adverbs
Choose whether to use the adjective (bueno/buena) or the adverb (bien).
- Julia canta ____.
- Mi mamá prepara la comida muy ____.
- Ellos escriben muy ____.
- El niño es muy ____.
Show Exercise B Answers
- bien (adverb describing how Julia sings)
- buena (adjective describing “la comida”)
- bien (adverb describing how they write)
- bueno (adjective describing “el niño”)
AI Prompts for Additional Practice
- “Write five Spanish sentences that include a noun followed by an adjective. Explain why the adjectives are placed where they are and why they take a certain ending.” [Open in ChatGPT]
- “List 10 pairs of opposite adjectives in Spanish (e.g., grande/pequeño), provide English equivalents, and create one example sentence for each pair.” [Open in ChatGPT]
Keep practicing, and don’t worry if you mix up a form now and then. Over time, your ear will start to recognize what sounds right. Just keep listening, reading, and writing in Spanish as much as you can!
Take me to the next lesson: Spanish Adjectives: Formation and Placement
Attribution
Adapted from Spanish in Texas – Introduction to Adjectives under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.
