What are adjectives?
Adjectives in Spanish just like in English describe a noun. In Spanish, adjectives must agree in gender and number to the noun that they describe. In simple terms: If the noun is feminine and singular, the adjective should be feminine and singular. If the noun is plural and masculine, the adjective should be masculine and plural. There are some adjectives that do not have gender and we will discuss a bit more how to work with them.
Spanish Adjectives video lesson
Deep Dive: Adjectives in Spanish
Adjectives are words that describe nouns. For example: colors.
Adjectives in Spanish must match in gender and number to the noun that they describe.
An easy way to think about it is: When you describe a male vs. when you describe a female, those adjectives are going to be a tiny bit different. The same thing happens if you are describing a group of females vs. a group of males or a mixed group.
Let’s start with the basics of the Spanish adjectives
The masculine form of most adjectives ends in -o.
To make the adjective plural we will add an -s. The plural form then, will end in -os
.
The feminine form of most adjectives ends in -a.
To make the adjective plural we will add an -s. The plural form then, will end in -as.
Let’s look at some examples:
The adjective alto means tall
If we are talking about ONE male we will say alto.
If we are talking about ONE female we will say alta.
If we are talking about a group of only males OR a mixed group we would say altos.
If we are talking about a group of ALL females, we would say altas.
Let’s put those sentences together using a Subject pronoun or Subject, and the correct conjugation of the verb ser and the correct form of the adjective.
Èl es alto.
Ella
es alta.
Ellos son altos. Remember that this one could be used for a group of only males or a mixed group of males and females regardless of the ratio.
Ellas son altas.
Let’s do one more example together. Let’s use the opposite of alto (tall). Let’s work with the adjective bajo (short) in reference to height.
Èl es bajo.
Ella es baja.
Ellos son bajos. Remember that this one could be used for a group of only males or a mixed group of males and females regardless of the ratio.
Ellas son bajas.
There are some adjectives that do not have gender. Like for example the adjective inteligente (intelligent). It does not end in -o therefore it does not change from masculine to feminine. Inteligente is going to be used for both masculine and feminine.
Having said that, we still have to think of number in case we are talking about more than one person. Since there is no gender, to make inteligente plural we simply add an -s and it becomes inteligentes. If the adjective ends in a vowel like inteligente we simply add an -s.
Let’s break this adjective down so you can see how it would work in all scenarios.
If we are talking about ONE male we will say inteligente.
If we are talking about ONE female we will say inteligente.
If we are talking about a group of only males OR a mixed group we would say inteligentes.
If we are talking about a group of ALL females, we would say inteligentes.
Èl es inteligente.
Ella es inteligente.
Ellos son inteligentes. Remember that this one could be used for a group of only males or a mixed group of males and females regardless of the ratio.
Ellas son inteligentes.
Now, let’s look at the adjective joven (young). Notice how it doesn’t have gender as it doesn’t end in an -o. Now, pay close attention that it doesn’t end in a vowel like inteligente. Instead it ends in a consonant. That will change things a bit when we try to work with the plural form of this verb. Let’s look at it.
Joven will be used for both feminine and masculine.
To make joven plural we have to add -es since it ends in a consonant. Therefore, it becomes jóvenes. If the adjective ends in a consonant we add -es to make it plural.
Example:
Èl es joven.
Ella es joven.
Ellos son jóvenes. Remember that this one could be used for a group of only males or a mixed group of males and females regardless of the ratio.
Ellas son jóvenes.
To say you are NOT something in Spanish
like for example, I am not tall you are going to put a NO in front of the verb.
For example:
Yo no soy alta.
Yo no soy rubia.
Ella no es baja.
Table of Contents
Free handouts (Click to download from Google drive)
