A2 Spanish GrammarAdjective Agreement
Master Spanish adjective agreement in gender and number. Learn the rules for -o/-a adjectives, invariable adjectives, and special cases like gran, buen, and shortened forms.
1Basic Agreement Rules
Spanish adjectives agree with the noun in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural). Most adjectives ending in -o change to -a for feminine. Add -s for plurals, -es after consonants.
Basic Adjective Endings
| Form | Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|---|
| singular | -o (alto) | -a (alta) |
| plural | -os (altos) | -as (altas) |
| consonant sing | azul | azul |
| consonant plur | azules | azules |
Examples
El coche rojo es nuevo.
The red car is new.
masculine singular -o
La casa roja es nueva.
The red house is new.
feminine singular -a
Los coches rojos son nuevos.
The red cars are new.
masculine plural -os
Las casas rojas son nuevas.
The red houses are new.
feminine plural -as
2Invariable Adjectives
Adjectives ending in -e, -ista, or a consonant have the same form for masculine and feminine. They only change for number. Nationality adjectives ending in consonant add -a for feminine.
Invariable Adjectives
| Type | Masculine | Feminine | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| -e ending | grande | grande | grandes |
| -ista ending | optimista | optimista | optimistas |
| consonant | difícil | difícil | difíciles |
| nationality | español | española | españoles/as |
Examples
Un problema grande, una casa grande.
A big problem, a big house.
grande - same form
Es un hombre optimista.
He's an optimistic man.
-ista invariable
Una lección difícil.
A difficult lesson.
consonant - same form
Una mujer española, un hombre español.
A Spanish woman, a Spanish man.
nationality changes
3Shortened Adjectives
Some adjectives shorten before masculine singular nouns: bueno→buen, malo→mal, primero→primer, tercero→tercer, grande→gran (before any singular), alguno→algún, ninguno→ningún.
Shortened Forms
| Full Form | Short Form | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| bueno | buen | before masc. sing. |
| malo | mal | before masc. sing. |
| grande | gran | before any sing. |
| primero | primer | before masc. sing. |
| tercero | tercer | before masc. sing. |
| alguno | algún | before masc. sing. |
Examples
Es un buen libro.
It's a good book.
buen before masculine
Hace mal tiempo hoy.
The weather is bad today.
mal before masculine
Es una gran mujer.
She's a great woman.
gran before feminine too
El primer día de clase.
The first day of class.
primer before masculine
4Position of Adjectives
Most descriptive adjectives follow the noun in Spanish. Some common adjectives (bueno, malo, grande, pequeño, viejo, joven, nuevo) can precede and may change meaning. Numbers always precede.
Meaning Changes by Position
| Before Noun | After Noun |
|---|---|
| un gran hombre (great) | un hombre grande (big) |
| un viejo amigo (longtime) | un amigo viejo (elderly) |
| un pobre hombre (unfortunate) | un hombre pobre (poor) |
| mi único hijo (only) | un caso único (unique) |
Examples
Tiene un coche negro nuevo.
He has a new black car.
adjectives after noun
Es mi viejo amigo de la universidad.
He's my old friend from university.
viejo = longtime
Vive en una casa muy vieja.
She lives in a very old house.
vieja = old (age)
Los tres primeros capítulos son fáciles.
The first three chapters are easy.
numbers + ordinals before