Adjectives (Edexcel GCSE Spanish): Revision Notes
Adjectives
What are adjectives in Spanish?
Adjectives are words that describe nouns, giving us more information about people, places, or things. In Spanish, adjectives work differently from English because they must agree with the noun they describe.
When we say adjectives must agree, this means they change their endings to match:
- The gender of the noun (masculine or feminine)
- The number of the noun (singular or plural)
Spanish dictionaries show the masculine singular form of adjectives. You need to work out the feminine and plural forms yourself by following the agreement patterns.
Adjectival agreement patterns
Adjectives ending in -o
These adjectives change their endings for all four forms:
| Form | Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | alto (tall) | alta (tall) |
| Plural | altos (tall) | altas (tall) |
Worked Example: Using -o adjectives
- El chico alto vive aquí. (The tall boy lives here.)
- Las chicas altas son mis amigas. (The tall girls are my friends.)
Notice how alto changes to alta for feminine and altas for feminine plural.
Adjectives ending in -e
These adjectives only change for number, not gender:
| Form | Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | importante (important) | importante (important) |
| Plural | importantes (important) | importantes (important) |
Worked Example: Using -e adjectives
- Es una decisión importante. (It's an important decision.)
- Tenemos exámenes importantes mañana. (We have important exams tomorrow.)
Notice how importante stays the same for both genders but adds -s for plural.
Adjectives ending in a consonant
Like adjectives ending in -e, these usually only change for number:
| Form | Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | azul (blue) | azul (blue) |
| Plural | azules (blue) | azules (blue) |
Worked Example: Using consonant-ending adjectives
- Mi coche azul está en el garaje. (My blue car is in the garage.)
- Las casas azules son muy bonitas. (The blue houses are very pretty.)
Notice how azul stays the same for both genders but adds -es for plural.
Important exceptions
Some adjectives don't follow the standard patterns:
Adjectives ending in -or
These add -a for feminine forms:
| Form | Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | trabajador (hardworking) | trabajadora (hardworking) |
| Plural | trabajadores (hardworking) | trabajadoras (hardworking) |
Nationality adjectives ending in -s
These also add -a for feminine forms:
| Form | Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | inglés (English) | inglesa (English) |
| Plural | ingleses (English) | inglesas (English) |
Position of adjectives
After the noun (most common)
The majority of Spanish adjectives come after the noun they describe:
- una falda azul (a blue skirt)
- las faldas amarillas (the yellow skirts)
Before the noun
Some adjectives always come before the noun:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| mucho | a lot |
| poco | a little |
| primero | first |
| segundo | second |
| tercero | third |
| próximo | next |
| último | last |
| alguno | some/any |
| ninguno | no |
Example sentence:
- Tengo muchos amigos. (I have lots of friends.)
Special case: grande
Grande changes meaning depending on position:
- Before the noun: means "great"
- After the noun: means "big"
Example sentence:
- Fue una gran película. (It was a great film.)
Short forms of adjectives
Some adjectives have shortened forms when they come before a masculine singular noun:
| Full form | English | Short form | Used before |
|---|---|---|---|
| bueno | good | buen | masculine singular nouns |
| malo | bad | mal | masculine singular nouns |
| primero | first | primer | masculine singular nouns |
| alguno | some/any | algún | masculine singular nouns |
| ninguno | no | ningún | masculine singular nouns |
Worked Example: Using short forms
- Es un buen día. (It's a good day.)
- No tengo ningún problema. (I don't have any problem.)
Notice how bueno becomes buen and ninguno becomes ningún before masculine singular nouns.
Using 'lo' with adjectives
You can use lo + masculine singular adjective to say "the ... thing":
- lo bueno (the good thing)
- lo peor es que (the worst thing is that)
Translation practice
Practice Exercise: Translation
Spanish to English:
- Los estudiantes trabajadores siempre sacan buenas notas.
- Mi hermana pequeña tiene muchos libros interesantes.
English to Spanish:
- The tall, dark-haired boy is my friend.
- We visited some historic museums yesterday.
Answers:
- The hardworking students always get good marks.
- My little sister has lots of interesting books.
- El chico alto y moreno es mi amigo.
- Visitamos algunos museos históricos ayer.
Remember!
Key Points to Remember:
- Adjectives must agree with the noun in gender and number
- Most adjectives come after the noun they describe
- Some common adjectives (mucho, poco, primero, etc.) always come before the noun
- Short forms are used before masculine singular nouns (buen, mal, primer, etc.)
- Grande means "great" before the noun and "big" after the noun
- Always check the dictionary form (masculine singular) and work out the other forms yourself