Spanish adjectives are more complicated than English adjectives. When you use Spanish adjectives, not only do you have to match the gender of the adjective with the noun but you also have to match the number and you have to get the order right.
As we work with the verb ser (Unit) we find ourselves using more and more adjectives to describe people, places and things. In order to do this properly, let’s make sure that we are following the three simple rules for adjectives in Spanish.
In Spanish we need to follow three simple rules when working with adjectives:
| Make sure adjective ending agrees in GENDER with the noun it describes. Make sure adjective ending agrees in NUMBER with the noun it describes. Adjectives generally (with a few exceptions) come after the noun. |
This idea may sound foreign to you now as we do not adjust our adjectives in English, but soon you will be a pro! Let’s break things down…
Gender Agreement: When we say that adjectives agree in gender with the noun they describe, we mean that it either carries a masculine (o) or feminine ending (a). Some adjectives use a gender-neutral ending (e) that can also be used. For example: el carro blanco, la manzana roja
Number Agreement: When we say that adjectives agree in number with the noun they describe, we mean that it carries an -s if the noun it describes is plural. In cases when an adjective ends in a consonant (ex: trabajador), you will add -es. Also, words ending in -z will not only end in -es when plural but the -z will also change to -c so that you will have -ces. For example: los carros blancos, las manzanas rojas, los hombres trabajadores, los niños felices
Word Order: Adjectives will generally come after the noun they describe rather than before the noun as we are used to in English. Some adjectives can come before the noun, and a few of them (such as grande, viejo and pobre) change their meaning when they do. For example: el chico alto, la chica cómica, los niños bajos, las chicas rubias.