Adjectives in Spanish

This section introduces adjectives in Spanish and includes tips for students studying foundation and higher tiers. In Spanish, adjectives are used to describe nouns, just like in English. However, there are a few important rules regarding their agreement with the noun in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural).

Agreement in Gender

In Spanish, adjectives must agree in gender with the noun they describe. If the noun is masculine, the adjective must be masculine; if the noun is feminine, the adjective must be feminine.

• Masculine (Masculino): Adjectives usually end in -o.
• Feminine (Femenino): Adjectives usually end in -a.

Examples:

• El chico alto (The tall boy)
  Chico (boy) is masculine, so alto is masculine.
• La chica alta (The tall girl)
  Chica (girl) is feminine, so alta is feminine.

Agreement in Number

Adjectives must also agree in number with the noun. If the noun is singular, the adjective must be singular. If the noun is plural, the adjective must be plural.

• Singular (Singular): Adjectives generally end in -o for masculine singular and -a for feminine singular.
• Plural (Plural): Adjectives generally end in -os for masculine plural and -as for feminine plural.

Examples:

• El chico alto (The tall boy) vs. Los chicos altos (The tall boys)
  Chico is singular, so alto stays singular. Chicos is plural, so altos is plural.
• La chica alta (The tall girl) vs. Las chicas altas (The tall girls)
  Chica is singular, so alta stays singular. Chicas is plural, so altas is plural.

Adjectives Ending in -e

Some adjectives end in -e and do not change according to gender. These adjectives are the same for both masculine and feminine nouns.

Examples:

• El chico inteligente (The intelligent boy) vs. La chica inteligente (The intelligent girl)
  Inteligente stays the same for both masculine and feminine.
• El coche grande (The big car) vs. La casa grande (The big house)
  Grande stays the same for both masculine and feminine.

Adjectives Ending in -ista

Adjectives that end in -ista can describe both masculine and feminine nouns. They only change in number.

Examples:

• El periodista famoso (The famous journalist - masculine)
  Periodista stays the same, regardless of gender.
• La periodista famosa (The famous journalist - feminine)
  Famosa changes to agree with the feminine noun periodista.
• Los periodistas famosos (The famous journalists - masculine plural)
  Periodistas stays the same, and famosos changes to plural.
• Las periodistas famosas (The famous journalists - feminine plural)
  Famosas changes to agree with the plural form.

Placement of Adjectives

In Spanish, most adjectives come after the noun they describe, unlike in English, where adjectives usually come before the noun. However, there are some exceptions where the adjective comes before the noun.

Adjectives that usually come after the noun:

• El perro negro (The black dog)
• La casa grande (The big house)

Adjectives that usually come before the noun:

Some adjectives that show quantity, quality, or importance often come before the noun.

• Un buen amigo (A good friend)
• Una mala película (A bad film)
• Tres coches rojos (Three red cars)

Note: Some adjectives that come before the noun can change their meaning depending on whether they are placed before or after. For example:

• Un pobre hombre (A poor man – in need)
• Un hombre pobre (A poor man – without money)

Irregular Adjectives

Some adjectives have irregular forms, meaning they don't follow the usual patterns of agreement in gender or number.

• Bueno (good):
  • El buen chico (The good boy)
  • La buena chica (The good girl)
  • Los buenos chicos (The good boys)
  • Las buenas chicas (The good girls)
    Bueno changes to buen before masculine singular nouns.
• Malo (bad):
  • El mal chico (The bad boy)
  • La mala chica (The bad girl)
  • Los malos chicos (The bad boys)
  • Las malas chicas (The bad girls)
    Malo changes to mal before masculine singular nouns.

Higher Tier Example

Higher-tier students may be asked to describe a range of people or things, including using adjectives with different placements or irregular forms.

Example:

• Los chicos guapos y simpáticos son mis amigos.
  (The handsome and friendly boys are my friends.)
  Guapos and simpáticos agree in number and gender with chicos (masculine plural).
• Mi abuela es una mujer muy amable y sabia.
  (My grandmother is a very kind and wise woman.)
  Amable and sabia are used with mujer (feminine singular), showing agreement in gender.

Summary of Key Rules

Adjective Agreement: Adjectives must agree in both gender and number with the noun.

Position: Most adjectives come after the noun, but some adjectives (like quantity and quality) come before the noun.

Irregular Adjectives: Some adjectives like bueno and malo have irregular forms.

These notes should help you understand the basic rules for adjectives in Spanish and how to apply them for both Foundation and Higher-tier levels. Be sure to practise with a variety of nouns and adjectives to master the agreement!