Descriptive adjectives in Spanish overview, role in sentence structure, agreement rules, placement, and examples (e.g., “casa blanca”).
Descriptive adjectives are words that describe the qualities, states, or characteristics of nouns. They provide more information about people, places, things, or ideas, such as color, size, shape, personality, or condition.
- Examples: grande (big), rojo (red), inteligente (intelligent), feliz (happy)
- They follow the noun in most cases but can sometimes come before for emphasis or style
- They must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe
Example:
La casa blanca. (The white house.)
*“blanca” describes “casa” and matches its feminine singular form.
In Spanish, adjectives must agree in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) with the noun they modify.
Spanish nouns are masculine or feminine and singular or plural. Adjectives change their endings to match.
| Noun + Adjective Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| el libro interesante | the interesting book |
| la niña alta | the tall girl |
| los zapatos negros | the black shoes |
| las casas pequeñas | the small houses |
Agreement Rules:
- Masculine singular: adjective ends in -o (or stays singular for many non -o endings)
- Feminine singular: change -o to -a (or stay same for adjectives ending in -e or consonant)
- Masculine plural: add -s (or -es if adjective ends in consonant)
- Feminine plural: change -o to -a, then add -s (or add -es)
Most descriptive adjectives in Spanish come after the noun they describe. However, some can come before the noun for emphasis, style, or a change in meaning.
Post-noun placement is the default.
| Example | English |
|---|---|
| un coche rápido | a fast car |
| una mujer simpática | a nice woman |
Some adjectives can come before the noun, often for literary effect or emphasis.
| Example | English |
|---|---|
| la gran mujer | the great woman |
| un viejo amigo | an old (longtime) friend |
Note: Placing adjectives before the noun can sometimes change the meaning.
| Example | Meaning | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| un hombre pobre | a poor (needy) man | a man who is poor |
| un pobre hombre | poor (unfortunate) man | — |
- Adjectives ending in -e or a consonant: These do not change for gender, only for number.
- Example: el chico inteligente / la chica inteligente
- Example: el hombre feliz / la mujer feliz
- Adjectives with irregular forms: Some have irregular feminine forms or spelling changes.
- Example: bueno → buena, malo → mala, rico → rica
- Example: trabajador → trabajadora, español → española
- Adjectives that change meaning with position:
- Example: antiguo (before: former, after: ancient)
- Example: cierto (before: certain, after: sure)
- Example: grande (before: great, after: big)
| Spanish Sentence | English Translation |
|---|---|
| La casa blanca es grande. | The white house is big. |
| El perro negro corre rápido. | The black dog runs fast. |
| Tengo dos hermanos pequeños. | I have two small brothers. |
| Mi amiga es muy inteligente. | My friend is very intelligent. |
| Es un hombre feliz. | He is a happy man. |
| Compro fruta fresca en el mercado. | I buy fresh fruit at the market. |
| La película interesante terminó tarde. | The interesting movie ended late. |
| Ella es una gran artista. | She is a great artist. |
| Vivimos en un viejo edificio. | We live in an old building. |
| Tengo un amigo trabajador. | I have a hardworking friend. |
¿Cómo se dice "The white house is big" en español?
La casa blanca es grande.
'Casa' is feminine singular, so 'blanca' matches. 'Grande' is neutral here.
¿Cuál es la traducción de "I have a hardworking friend"?
Tengo un amigo trabajador.
'Trabajador' is masculine singular matching 'amigo'; it follows the noun as usual.
Flashcards (1 of 18)
- Noun + Adjective Example: el libro interesante
- English Translation: the interesting book
Last updated: Thu Jun 12, 2025
