Gender Agreement
In Spanish, adjectives and articles must agree in gender with the noun they modify. Nouns are either masculine or feminine, and their corresponding adjectives and articles change accordingly. For example, the masculine noun libro (book) takes the definite article el and the adjective grande stays the same, but a feminine noun like casa (house) uses la and the adjective becomes grande as well, but if the adjective changes, it ends in -a for feminine.
Number Agreement
Number agreement in Spanish means that adjectives, articles, and verbs must agree in singular or plural form with the nouns or subjects they modify or describe. For example, a singular noun like niño uses el niño alto (the tall boy), while the plural niños uses los niños altos (the tall boys), showing that both articles and adjectives change to match the number.
Verb Agreement
Verbs in Spanish agree with their subjects in person and number. This means verb endings change depending on whether the subject is first, second, or third person, and whether it is singular or plural. For example, the present tense conjugation of hablar (to speak) changes as yo hablo (I speak), tú hablas (you speak), and ellos hablan (they speak).
Agreement with Pronouns
When using pronouns in Spanish, the verb and any referring adjectives must agree in person, number, and sometimes gender with the pronoun. For example, ella es alta (she is tall) shows feminine agreement with the pronoun ella (she), while ellos son altos (they are tall) agrees in masculine plural with ellos.
Exceptions and Irregularities
While most agreement rules are consistent, there are exceptions, especially with irregular verbs and nouns that have non-standard gender or number forms. For example, some nouns like el día (the day) are masculine even though they end in -a, and irregular verbs like ser have unique conjugations that must be memorized.
Common Mistakes
A common mistake in Spanish agreement is mixing gender and number, such as using masculine adjectives with feminine nouns or vice versa. Another frequent error is failing to conjugate verbs correctly according to the subject pronoun. Practice and attention to these rules will improve accuracy in speaking and writing.
Summary Table of Key Agreement Forms
| Agreement Type | Changes Affecting | Example Noun | Article/Adjective Example | Verb Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gender | Articles, adjectives | libro (masc.), casa (fem.) | el libro rojo, la casa roja | N/A |
| Number | Articles, adjectives, verbs | niño (sing.), niños (pl.) | los niños altos | ellos hablan |
| Person and Number | Verb endings | N/A | N/A | yo hablo, tú hablas |
These rules form the foundation for making your Spanish sentences coherent and grammatical.
