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Spanish Grammar: Adjectives
Adjectives Defined
Adjectives are the words which delimit or give you specific information about the various nouns in a sentence. They tell you size, color, weight, pleasantness, and many other qualities. Such words as big, expensive, terrible, insipid, hot, delightful, ruddy, informative are all clear adjectives. If you are in doubt whether a certain word is an adjective, put the word "more" or "too" in front of it. If it makes good sense in the sentence, and does not end in -ly, the chances are that it is an adjective.
He is a very nice boy.
In Spanish, adjectives have to agree in number and gender with the nouns they accompany. We have nothing comparable to this in English. In most cases, also contrary to English usage, adjectives usually follow their nouns.
Es un chico muy simpático.
He is a very nice boy.
Son chicos muy simpáticos.
They are very nice boys.
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Forming the PLURAL OF Spanish ADJECTIVES
The plural of a Spanish adjective is formed in the same manner as the plural of a noun. See the section "Nouns" for these rules.
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Forming the FEMININE OF ADJECTIVES
Adjectives which end in -o in the masculine singular change -o to -a to form the feminine.
| Masculine | Feminine | ||
| alto | alta | tall |
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| bajo | baja | short |
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| bueno | bueno | good |
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| malo | mala | bad |
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| guapo | guapa | pretty |
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| feo | fea | ugly |
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| delgado | delgada | slim |
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| gordo | gorda | fat |
Juan es muy alto.
John is very tall.
Mónica es muy alta.
Monica is very tall.
Adjectives of nationality (languages also) ending in a consonant form the feminine by adding -a.
| Masculine | Feminine | ||
| inglés | inglesa | English |
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| español | española | Spanish |
Adjectives ending in -án, -ón or -or add -a to form the feminine. This rule does not apply to comparative forms ending in -or.
| Masculine | Feminine | ||
| preguntón | preguntona | inquisitive |
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| hablador | habladora | talkative |
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| charlatán | charlatana | gossipy |
un hombre hablador
a talkative man
una mujer habladora
a talkative woman
Adjectives not ending in -o generally remain unchanged in the feminine. However, the preceding two rules are, of course, exceptions.
| Masculine | Feminine | ||
| azul | azul | blue |
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| verde | verde | green |
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| fiel | fiel | faithful |
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| difícil | difícil | difficult |
el esposo fiel
the faithful husband
la esposa fiel
the faithful wife
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AGREEMENT OF ADJECTIVES
A Spanish adjective agrees in gender (as discussed in the previous section) and number (i.e., singular or plural) with the noun or pronoun it modifies. The same rules also apply to past participles acting as adjectives.
La mujer es baja.
The woman is short.
Las mujeres son bajas.
The women are short.
La ventana está cerrada.
The window is closed.
Las ventanas están cerradas.
The windows are closed.
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AGREEMENT OF ADJECTIVES WITH MULTIPLE NOUNS
When an adjective is used to qualify more than one noun, however, the agreement of the adjective is determined by the following rules:
In the case where an adjective modifies two or more nouns of the same gender, the adjective becomes plural and agrees in gender with the nouns.
La ventana y la puerta están cerradas.
The door and the window are closed.
An adjective modifying two or more nouns (singular or plural) of different genders is generally masculine plural in form.
Las plumas y los lápices son baratos.
The pens and the pencils are cheap.
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POSITION OF ADJECTIVES
In Spanish, some adjectives stand before, and others after, the noun they modify. In many cases it is difficult to decide which of these places the adjective should occupy. Generally speaking, adjectives that limit as to quantity (the, a, an, much, many, numerals, etc.) precede the noun. Adjectives which describe a noun by telling its quality (color, size, shape, appearance, nationality) follow the noun. The following rules indicate the more general usage.
In Spanish, some adjectives stand before, and others after, the noun they modify. In some cases, it is difficult to decide which of these places the adjective should occupy. Generally speaking, adjectives that limit as to quantity (the, a, an, much, many, numerals, etc.) precede the noun. Adjectives which describe a noun by telling its quality (color, size, shape, appearance, condition, nationality) and thereby distinguish it from others of its kind, follow the noun. The following rules indicate the more general usage.
Each of the following types of adjectives are placed before the noun they modify:
(a) Possessive adjectives
Mi madre es argentina.
My mother is Argentinian.
(b) Demonstrative adjectives
Viven en esa casa desde hace un año.
They have been living in that house for a year.
(c) Indefinite adjectives
Tengo poca confianza en ellos.
I have little confidence in them.
(d) Cardinal numerals(one, two, three, etc.)
Tengo dos casas.
I have two books.
Note: An ordinal numeral (first, second, third, etc.) usually precedes the noun it modifies. However, ordinal numbers must follow the names of kings, popes, etc.
¡Es la tercera vez que me lo preguntas!
That makes the third time you've asked me!
But:
Jorge Sexto de Inglaterra
George VI of England
The following adjectives are usually placed after the nouns they modify:
(a) adjectives indicating a physical quality (color, size, strength, etc.)
Se vistió de un traje azul.
He wore a blue suit.
Tiene un carácter muy fuerte.
He has a strong personality.
(b) past participles when used as adjectives
un sobre abierto
an unsealed envelope
(c) adjectives that are modified by adverbs
Sentí un dolor muy fuerte en el pecho.
I felt a very intense/severe pain in the chest.
Estoy bastante seguro.
I am fairly sure.
(d) adjectives of nationality
Es una actriz argentina.
She is an Argentine actress.
(e) Adjectives that are much longer than the noun being modified
La poción despedía un olor insoportable.
The potion gave off a terrible smell.
(f) adjectival phrases (i.e. phrases formed with de + noun)
Tengo mis gafas de sol y los lentes de contacto.
I have my sunglasses and contact lenses.
Note: The meaning of some common adjectives varies according to whether they precede or follow the noun. Consider these changes in meaning:
una gran ciudad a great city
una ciudad grande a large city
la pobre mujer the poor (unfortunate) woman
la mujer pobre the poor (needy) woman
el mismo hombre the same man
el hombre mismo the man himself
un amigo viejo
an old friend (who is getting old)
un viejo amigo an old friend (a friend for many years)
Note: A descriptive adjective can be considered non-differentiating and therefore be placed before the noun when:
(a) it is part of a set expression or is an expected, obvious descriptor. For example, the word fría in la fría nieve does not really distinguish the snow being described from other types of snow; the word ‘cold’ is not quite redundant but adds little to the description and therefore can be placed before the noun. Consider: la verde grama (the green grass) – since grass tends to be green, the adjective here does not differentiate this grass from others and can be placed before the noun. Another example: mi mejor amigo (my best friend) – this set phrase never varies in its adjective-noun position.
(b) it is used subjectively rather than as a distinguishing objective qualifier
los brillantes estudiantes de esta clase
the brilliant students of this clase
(i.e. they are all intelligent, this characteristic applies to all of them and does not distinguish some of them from others)
brilliant students of this clase
los estudiantes brillantes de esta
clase the brilliant students
in this class
(i.e. only those particular members of the class who are brilliant, as opposed to those who are not)
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SHORTENED FORM OF ADJECTIVES
The following adjectives drop the final -o when they precede the noun
they modify: bueno, malo, uno, alguno, ninguno, primero,
tercero. (No change is made when they precede a feminine noun or nouns in the plural.)
un hombre bueno (a moral man)
un buen hombre (a good man)
The words grande and ciento lose their final syllable when they precede the noun they modify.
una gran ciudad (a great city)
cien libros (one hundred books)
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ADJECTIVES USED AS NOUNS
Many adjectives may be used as nouns. In forming such nouns, it is necessary to use either (1) the definite article, (2) the indefinite article, (3) a numeral, or (4) a limiting adjective before the adjective. The English translation of these nouns often includes such words as thing or one.
La pobre lo hizo.
The poor girl (thing) did it.
Un joven lo compró.
A young man bought it.
Dos españoles lo descubrieron.
Two Spaniards discovered it.
Veo otro pequeño.
I see another small one.
el ciego
the blind man
Adjectives of nationality can also be used as nouns. They can be used to refer to people of a particular nationality, or to the name of their language.
Soy español.
I am a Spaniard.