Spanish grammar · Beginner (A1)
Adjectives: agreement and position
Spanish adjectives match their noun in gender and number, and usually come after it. Learn the patterns and the exceptions.
Adjectives agree with the noun
An “adjective” is a describing word, like “big” or “red”. In Spanish it changes its ending to match the noun: masculine or feminine, singular or plural. This is called “agreement”.
| Adjective ending | Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|---|
| -o / -a | , | , |
| -e (same for both) | ||
| consonant (same for both) | , | , |
| nationality ending in a consonant (adds -a) |
- Mi hermano es alto.My brother is tall.
- Mis hermanas son altas.My sisters are tall.
Making the plural
Adjectives form the plural like nouns: add -s after a vowel and -es after a consonant. If an adjective describes a mix of masculine and feminine nouns, use the masculine plural.
- unos zapatos azulessome blue shoes
- Juan y Carmen son simpáticos.Juan and Carmen are nice.
Position: usually after the noun
Most adjectives, especially colours, shapes and nationalities, go after the noun: (a white shirt).
Words for quantity and numbers go before it: , , , . Some common adjectives like and also often go before the noun, and then drop the -o in the masculine singular: , . becomes before any singular noun and then means “great”: .
- Quisiera un vino tinto.I'd like a red wine.
- Tengo muchos amigos.I have a lot of friends.
- ¡Buen viaje!Have a good trip!
- Madrid es una gran ciudad.Madrid is a great city.