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Descriptive adjectives. These adjectives don't tell you what it is, it tells you what the noun is like. So these describe nouns. In Spanish, descriptive adjectives almost always come after nouns, which is very different from English.
So they would not say "new car," they would say [SPANISH], or, [SPANISH]. Which is kind of strange at first, but it will become more natural-feeling after a while.
In Spanish, the default form of any adjective is the masculine singular. For most adjectives, that means that it will end in the letter O for the masculine singular. You can change the O to an A, which would change it to its feminine form.
And then to make either plural, simply add the letter S. So [SPANISH] would become [SPANISH], for feminine, and [SPANISH] and [SPANISH] would be the plural. The nice male friend would be amigo [SPANISH], sympathetic or nice. The nice female friend, amiga [SPANISH]. The nice male friends, amigos [SPANISH]. And finally, the nice female friends, las amigas [SPANISH].
The word for tall in Spanish is [SPANISH]. So how would you say, "tall friend" if your friend is a guy? [SPANISH]. What about a tall friend who's a girl? Amiga [SPANISH]. How about the tall friends if the friends are all boys, or mixed group of boys and girls? Amigos [SPANISH].
Remember that the masculine plural form is also the gender neutral form. So that means it can be either all males or a mixed group of males and females. How do you say tall female friends if all of the friends in this group are females? Amigas [SPANISH].
If your adjectives ends in the letter E, instead of O, you will not change the ending to agree with the gender. Remember that earlier, E stands for either. It's gender neutral, so it works for masculine and feminine nouns. However, you still need to add an S to make it plural.
So intelligent male friend would be amigo [SPANISH]. Intelligent female friend, amiga [SPANISH]. So both the masculine and feminine forms end in an E, or in Español, A, for [SPANISH]. Intelligent male friends would be amigos [SPANISH], Just add an S. Intelligent female friends, amigas [SPANISH]. Just add an S to [SPANISH].
Finally, a few adjectives end in a consonant, not a vowel. Therefore, the form that ends in the constant is the masculine singular form, or the default form. For some, this also happens to be the feminine form. So [SPANISH], which means young, actually works for both genders. El chico [SPANISH], la chica [SPANISH]. It works for both masculine and feminine.
For others, you'll need to add an A to make the feminine form. So if an adjective needs an A added to it, you'll see it listed in this course, like this, parentheses around the A, at the end of the adjective. So it would be listed as [SPANISH], with an A in parentheses at the end. [SPANISH] becomes [SPANISH]. The feminine plural is [SPANISH]. Just add an S because you have a word that ends in a vowel, [SPANISH].
But remember, if you have an adjective that ends in a consonant, to make the masculine plural form, you have to add an E-S. So [SPANISH]. So a Spanish male friend, not necessarily one who speaks Spanish, but one who is from Spain-- in other words, a Spaniard-- would be [SPANISH] español.
The Spanish female friend would be [SPANISH]. Some Spanish male friends, amigos [SPANISH]. You have to add E-S to español to make it plural, because the L is a consonant. The Spanish female friends would be las amigas [SPANISH]. Simply add an S to [SPANISH], which Is the feminine singular form.
Now you'll learn some descriptive adjectives. I'm going to give you the masculine singular form, which is the default form. By the way, this is also the form you would find if you were to look up the word in an online dictionary.
You must know how to change the endings, according to the rules that we just covered, to make the adjectives agree with the nouns you want to describe. In a later section, you'll learn more about when to use these adjectives.
Repeat each after me. Grande, it means big. The opposite, small, is, [SPANISH]. Good is, bueno. Bad is, [SPANISH]. Tall you know already, [SPANISH]. The opposite is, short, [SPANISH]. Sweet, [SPANISH]. Sour is, [SPANISH]. Young is, [SPANISH]. Old, as in a person who is old, [SPANISH].
To describe something that is new, you would use the word, [SPANISH]. To describe an old object or an old place, use [SPANISH]. Although some use this to describe a person, as well. Thin or skinny is, [SPANISH]. You may also hear [SPANISH], F-L-A-C-O. The opposite, fat, is, [SPANISH]. Expensive is, [SPANISH], with one R. Inexpensive or cheap is, [SPANISH].
While the previous adjectives described permanent characteristics, these are describing temporary characteristics. in other words, these are conditions subject to change. Healthy, [SPANISH]. Sick, [SPANISH]. Better, [SPANISH]. Worse is, [SPANISH], like poorer. Strong, [SPANISH], like a fort. Weak or debilitated, [SPANISH]. Relaxed, [SPANISH]. Worried or preoccupied, [SPANISH].
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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 |
If you are struggling with a concept or terminology in the course, you may contact SpanishforNursesSupport@capella.edu for assistance.
If you are having technical issues, please contact learningcoach@sophia.org.
Source: This content has been adapted from "Spanish for Nurses" by Stephanie Langston.