Adjective agreement & position
A1Spanish adjectives agree in gender and number and usually follow the noun, sometimes shortened or changing meaning depending on position.
Overview
Spanish adjectives agree in gender and number and usually follow the noun, sometimes shortened or changing meaning depending on position.
- 1.Agreement in gender and number
- 2.Adjectives ending in -e or a consonant
- 3.Position: usually after the noun
- 4.Shortening: buen, gran, mal
- 5.Meaning change by position
Rules
51Agreement in gender and number
The adjective matches the noun it describes in gender and number.
- el coche rojo / la casa roja — the red car / the red house-o masculine, -a feminine
- los libros nuevos / las sillas nuevas — the new books / the new chairsplural with -s
2Adjectives ending in -e or a consonant
Adjectives ending in -e or a consonant do not change for gender, only for plural.
- un chico inteligente / una chica inteligente — a smart boy / a smart girlsame form
- un examen fácil / unos exámenes fáciles — an easy exam / easy examsplural: -es
3Position: usually after the noun
The adjective normally goes after the noun, especially color, shape and origin.
- un vino tinto — a red winecolor follows
- una película española — a Spanish filmorigin follows
4Shortening: buen, gran, mal
bueno/malo drop the -o before a masculine singular noun; grande becomes gran before any singular.
- un buen amigo — a good friendbueno → buen
- una gran idea — a great ideagrande → gran
5Meaning change by position
Some adjectives change meaning depending on whether they stand before or after the noun.
- un gran hombre / un hombre grande — a great man / a big (tall) manbefore = quality
- un viejo amigo / un amigo viejo — an old (longtime) friend / an elderly friendposition matters
Test
20Test yourself – every rule is checked. You get a score at the end.