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In Spanish, descriptive adjectives almost always come after nouns.
EXAMPLE
"Carro nuevo" means "new car."This will seem strange initially, but will feel natural after you become more proficient in the language.
1a. Descriptive Adjectives Ending in "o"
If the adjective ends in the letter "o" (masculine singular form), you can change the "o" to an "a" (feminine singular form). You can add the letter "s" to either to make the plural form.
| Spanish Noun and Adjective | Number | Gender | English Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| amigo simpático | singular | masculine | nice male friend |
| amiga simpática | singular | feminine | nice female friend |
| amigos simpáticos | plural | masculine | nice male friends |
| amigas simpáticas | plural | feminine | nice female friends |
1b. Descriptive Adjectives Ending in "e"
If the descriptive adjective ends in the letter "e," you will not change the ending to agree with the gender. You can think of the "e" as standing for "either," as it is gender neutral. You will still need to add an "s" to make the plural forms.
| Spanish Noun and Adjective | Number | Gender | English Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| amigo inteligente | singular | masculine | intelligent male friend |
| amiga inteligente | singular | feminine | intelligent female friend |
| amigos inteligentes | plural | masculine | intelligent male friends |
| amigas inteligentes | plural | feminine | intelligent female friends |
1c. Descriptive Adjectives Ending in a Consonant
Finally, a few adjectives end in a consonant, not a vowel. Therefore, the form that ends in the consonant is the masculine singular form. This is also the feminine form for some.
EXAMPLE
"Joven" is an adjective meaning "young," and it is the same in both the masculine and feminine forms.For others, just add an "a" to the end to make it feminine. If an adjective needs an "a" added to it for the feminine form, you will see it listed in this course like "trabajador(a)." If an adjective ends in a consonant, you have to add an "es" to make it plural.
| Spanish Noun and Adjective | Number | Gender | English Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| amigo español | singular | masculine | Spanish male friend |
| amiga española | singular | feminine | Spanish female friend |
| amigos españoles | plural | masculine | Spanish male friends |
| amigas españolas | plural | feminine | Spanish female friends |
Next, you’ll find some descriptive adjectives for you to learn. Note that these are all listed as masculine, singular. You must change the endings adhering to the rules noted earlier in order to make these adjectives agree with the nouns that you want to describe.
In a later lesson, you’ll learn more about when to use these adjectives. For now, note that some adjectives describe permanent characteristics, while others describe temporary characteristics.
2a. Permanent Characteristics
| Adjective | English Translation | Adjective | English Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| grande | big | pequeño | small |
| bueno | good | malo | bad |
| alto | tall | bajo | short |
| delgado | thin | gordo | fat |
| joven | young | anciano | old (person) |
| nuevo | new | viejo | old (object) |
| dulce | sweet | agrio | sour |
| caro | expensive | barato | inexpensive |
2b. Temporary Characteristics
| Adjective | English Translation | Adjective | English Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| sano | healthy | enfermo | sick |
| mejor | better | peor | worse |
| fuerte | strong | débil | weak |
| relajado | relaxed | preocupado | worried |
Source: This content has been adapted from "Spanish for Nurses" by Stephanie Langston.
