The Most Common Spanish Adjectives

Understanding Spanish Adjectives

What Are Adjectives?

Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns. In English, adjectives are placed before the noun, but in Spanish, they usually come after the noun.

Examples:

• English: a big house
• Spanish: una casa grande

Gender and Number Agreement

In Spanish, adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in both gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural).

Examples:

• Masculine singular: el coche rojo (the red car)
• Feminine singular: la casa roja (the red house)
• Masculine plural: los coches rojos (the red cars)
• Feminine plural: las casas rojas (the red houses)

Common Spanish Adjectives

Here is a list of some of the most common Spanish adjectives. Remember to adjust the ending to match the gender and number of the noun they describe.

Descriptive Adjectives

Color Adjectives

Quantity Adjectives

Using Adjectives in Sentences

Here are some examples of how to use adjectives in Spanish sentences:

1. El coche rojo está en el garaje. (The red car is in the garage.)
2. La casa grande tiene un jardín. (The big house has a garden.)
3. Tengo tres gatos negros. (I have three black cats.)
4. Ella es una persona feliz. (She is a happy person.)

Basic Rules for Spanish Adjectives

1. Gender Agreement:

   • If the noun is masculine, the adjective should be in its masculine form.
   • If the noun is feminine, the adjective should be in its feminine form.

2. Number Agreement:

   • If the noun is singular, the adjective should be singular.
   • If the noun is plural, the adjective should be plural.

Examples

• El libro rojo (The red book) - "Libro" is masculine singular.
• La casa roja (The red house) - "Casa" is feminine singular.
• Los libros rojos (The red books) - "Libros" is masculine plural.
• Las casas rojas (The red houses) - "Casas" is feminine plural.

Common Spanish Adjectives

Here are some of the most common Spanish adjectives that you can use in everyday conversations.

Colors

Sizes

Quantities

Personality Traits

Using Adjectives in Sentences

Sentence Structure

In Spanish, the structure is usually: Noun + Adjective For example:

• El coche nuevo (The new car)
• La chica inteligente (The intelligent girl)
• El libro interesante (The interesting book)
• Los estudiantes trabajadores (The hardworking students)
• However, some adjectives can precede the noun for emphasis or stylistic reasons:
• Un gran hombre (A great man)
• Una hermosa casa (A beautiful house)
• Remember that adjectives in Spanish must agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify:
• El perro negro (The black dog) / La casa negra (The black house)
• Los perros negros (The black dogs) / Las casas negras (The black houses)