Learn the basics of Spanish with this easy-to-understand course - Chapter 5

What is an adjective?
An adjective is a word used to describe or add information about a
noun or pronoun, as in:
the white cat
In Spanish, most adjectives are variable and change form depending on
whether the word they describe is masculine, feminine, singular or
plural,as in:
 el gato blanco ............... the white (male) cat
 la gata blanca ............... the white (female) cat
 los gatos blancos .......... the white (male) cats
 las gatas blancas .......... the white (female) cats

Many Spanish adjectives end in –o and, as we can see from the above
example of blanco (white), this type of adjective has four forms:
 blanco ....... masculine/singular form
 blanca ....... feminine/singular form
 blancos ..... masculine/plural form
 blancas ..... feminine/plural form

Adjectives that end in –e, however, do not change form for the
masculine and feminine but remain the same for both:
 el chico pobre .......... the poor boy
 la chica pobre .......... the poor girl

However, they do change form from the singular to the plural by adding – s:
 los chicos pobres ....... the poor boys
 las chicas pobres ....... the poor girls

Similarly, most adjectives which end in a consonant do not change form
for the masculine and feminine, but they do change form for the plural
by adding –es:
 el hombre fiel .......... the faithful man
 la mujer fiel ............. the faithful woman
 los hombres fieles ... the faithful men
 las mujeres fieles .... the faithful women

Some adjectives of nationality which end in a consonant do not,
however, follow this rule but add an –a to the feminine forms:

 el hombre español .......... the Spanish man
 la mujer española ........... the Spanish woman
 los hombres españoles ... the Spanish men
 las mujeres españolas .... the Spanish women

Adjectives which end in –or, -án, ón and –ín also have a feminine form:
 el hombre hablador ............ the talkative man
 la mujer habladora ............. the talkative woman
 los hombres habladores ..... the talkative men
 las mujeres habladoras ...... the talkative women

Adjectives – Part II
You'll have probably noticed from the previous chapter that, as a
general rule, in Spanish the adjective comes after the word it
describes – unlike English where it comes before.

However, adjectives which express quantity (ie how much or how many)
tend to be placed before the noun, for example:
 mucho trabajo .......... much work
 poco dinero .............. little money

There are also occasions when a descriptive adjective can precede the
noun, for example, when it refers to a quality which is inherent and
usually taken for granted, as in:
 la blanca nieve .......... the white snow

In Spanish, there are also just a few adjectives which have a
different meaning depending on whether they are placed before or after
the noun.
For example:
 un hombre pobre ... a poor man (in the sense of unfortunate)
 un pobre hombre ... a poor man (in the sense of little money)

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