Adjectives
In Spanish, adjectives must match the gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) of the noun they describe. In most cases, adjectives come after the noun in Spanish (opposite of English).
Examples:
El chico alto (The tall boy) – masculine, singular
La chica alta (The tall girl) – feminine, singular
Los chicos altos (The tall boys) – masculine, plural
Las chicas altas (The tall girls) – feminine, plural
Common Endings for Adjectives
Adjectives ending in -o usually change to match gender/number:
Alto, alta, altos, altas.
Adjectives ending in -e or a consonant don’t usually change gender, only number.
Inteligente, inteligentes
Fácil, fáciles
Possessive Adjectives
English Possessive | Subject Pronoun | Spanish Possessive Adjective |
my | yo | mi / mis |
your (informal singular) | tú | tu / tus |
his | él | su / sus |
her | ella | su / sus |
your (formal singular) | usted | su / sus |
our | nosotros / nosotras | nuestro / nuestra / nuestros / nuestras |
your (plural, informal – Spain) | vosotros / vosotras | vuestro / vuestra / vuestros / vuestras |
their | ellos / ellas | su / sus |
your (plural, formal) | ustedes | su / sus |
Limiting Adjectives (Number or Amount)
Type | Examples (Spanish) | English Translation |
Possessive | mi, tu, su, nuestro, su (etc.) | my, your, his/her, our, their |
Demonstrative | este, esa, aquellos, estas | this, that, those |
Articles | el, la, los, las, un, una, unos, unas | the, a, an |
Quantifiers | algunos, muchos, pocos, cada | some, many, few, each |
Numbers | uno, dos, tres… | one, two, three… |
Interrogative | qué, cuál, cuántos | what, which, how many |
Indefinite | alguno, ninguno, cualquier, todo | some, none, any, all |
Meaning Changing Adjectives
These adjectives change meaning based on if they are placed in front of the noun or after.
Adjective | Before the Noun – Figurative/Subjective | After the Noun – Literal/Objective |
antiguo | former | ancient, old |
cierto | certain (unspecified) | sure, true |
grande | great | big (large in size) |
media | half | average |
mismo | same | himself/herself |
nuevo | another, new to the owner | brand-new |
pobre | unfortunate | poor (without money) |
propio | own (emphasizing possession) | proper, appropriate |
puro | sheer, just | pure (clean, untainted) |
solo | only | alone |
único | only (one of a kind) | unique |
viejo | long-time (old in relationship) | old (in age) |