Adjective Agreement in Spanish
La concordancia de los adjetivos
In Spanish, adjectives must agree with the nouns they describe in gender and number. This agreement affects the adjective's form.
Example: un libro interesante → una historia interesante
Why Adjective Agreement Matters
Adjectives change form to match the gender and number of nouns.
| Noun | Masculine Form | Feminine Form |
|---|---|---|
| singular | el chico alto | la chica alta |
| plural | los chicos altos | las chicas altas |
| ending in -e | el coche grande | la casa grande |
| ending in consonant | el examen difícil | la tarea difícil |
Gender Agreement
Most adjectives ending in -o change to -a for feminine nouns.
| Masculine | Feminine | Example |
|---|---|---|
| alto | alta | niño alto / niña alta |
| grande | grande | libro grande / casa grande |
| azul | azul | coche azul / mesa azul |
| español | española | hombre español / mujer española |
- -o changes to -a for feminine
- Adjectives ending in -e don't change
- Most adjectives ending in consonants don't change
- Nationality adjectives ending in consonant add -a for feminine
Number Agreement
Adjectives must also agree in number with the noun.
| Singular | Plural | Example |
|---|---|---|
| alto | altos | niños altos |
| grande | grandes | casas grandes |
| azul | azules | coches azules |
| feliz | felices | niños felices |
- Add -s if adjective ends in vowel
- Add -es if adjective ends in consonant
- Adjectives ending in -z change to -ces
- Plural adjectives follow the same rules as nouns
Meaning Changes with Position
Some adjectives have different meanings depending on their position.
| Before Noun | After Noun | Meaning Change |
|---|---|---|
| un gran hombre | un hombre grande | great man vs. large man |
| un viejo amigo | un amigo viejo | old friend (longtime) vs. elderly friend |
| un pobre hombre | un hombre pobre | unfortunate man vs. man without money |
| una nueva casa | una casa nueva | new to me vs. brand new |
Adjective Position
Most adjectives come after the noun, but some common ones come before.
- Most descriptive adjectives come after the noun
- Adjectives of quantity, number, and quality often come before
- Some adjectives change meaning based on position
Irregular Feminine Forms
Some adjectives have special feminine forms.
| Masculine | Feminine | Example |
|---|---|---|
| bueno | buena | un buen día / una buena idea |
| malo | mala | un mal día / una mala idea |
| español | española | el idioma español / la cultura española |
| trabajador | trabajadora | el hombre trabajador / la mujer trabajadora |
Common Learner Questions
Helpful questions when using adjectives:
- Is the noun masculine or feminine?
- Is it singular or plural?
- Does the adjective end in -o, -e, or a consonant?
- Should the adjective come before or after the noun?
- Does it change meaning based on position?
Shortened Adjectives
Some adjectives drop the final -o before masculine singular nouns.
Example Sentences
La casa blanca es grande.The white house is big.
Los niños felices juegan en el parque.The happy children play in the park.
Tengo un buen amigo.I have a good friend.
Las flores rojas son bonitas.The red flowers are pretty.
Es una mujer española trabajadora.She is a hard-working Spanish woman.
una casa blancaa white housetype: After noun
un buen amigoa good friendtype: Before noun
muchos librosmany bookstype: Before noun
un coche rojoa red cartype: After noun
bueno → buenun buen día
malo → malun mal día
primero → primerel primer libro
tercero → tercerel tercer piso
grande → granun gran hombre (before any singular noun)
Gender and Number Combined
Adjectives must agree in both gender and number simultaneously.
| Masculine Singular | Feminine Singular | Masculine Plural | Feminine Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| alto | alta | altos | altas |
| inteligente | inteligente | inteligentes | inteligentes |
| azul | azul | azules | azules |
| español | española | españoles | españolas |