Adjective placement and agreement

In Spanish, adjectives follow specific placement and agreement rules that can be tricky for English speakers. Let’s break down these rules to help you master Spanish sentence structure!

Adjective Placement: Where Do Adjectives Go?

In Spanish, adjective placement is flexible, but generally follows these patterns:

1. After the noun: Most Spanish adjectives are placed after the noun they describe.
   • Example: “la casa roja” (the red house)
   • Other examples: “el coche azul” (the blue car), “la comida deliciosa” (the delicious food)
2. Before the noun: Some adjectives, especially those expressing inherent qualities or subjective opinions, come before the noun.
   • Example: “un buen libro” (a good book)
   • Other examples: “un gran hombre” (a great man), “la nueva casa” (the new house)

Common pre-nominal adjectives include:

• Bueno/a (good)
• Malo/a (bad)
• Grande (big/great)
• Pequeño/a (small)
• Nuevo/a (new)
• Viejo/a (old)

Tip: The placement of some adjectives can change their meaning!

• “Un hombre pobre” (a poor man, financially)
• “Un pobre hombre” (a pitiful man)

Adjective Agreement: Matching Genders and Numbers

Spanish adjectives must agree with the nouns they modify in both gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural).

1. Gender Agreement

• Masculine nouns take masculine adjectives: “el gato negro” (the black cat)
• Feminine nouns take feminine adjectives: “la mesa negra” (the black table)

2. Number Agreement

• Singular nouns take singular adjectives: “el libro interesante” (the interesting book)
• Plural nouns take plural adjectives: “los libros interesantes” (the interesting books)

Adjective Endings: A Quick Guide

• Most adjectives add -o for masculine and -a for feminine.
• Adjectives ending in -e or a consonant usually stay the same for both genders
• To form plurals, add -s to adjectives ending in a vowel, or -es to those ending in a consonant.

Examples

• Rojo (red):
  • el coche rojo, la flor roja
  • los coches rojos, las flores rojas
• Grande (big):
  • el perro grande, la casa grande
  • los perros grandes, las casas grandes
• Azul (blue):
  • el cielo azul, la camisa azul
  • los cielos azules, las camisas azules

Practice Makes Perfect!

Mastering adjective placement and agreement takes practice, but it’s key to clear and accurate communication in Spanish. Start by identifying adjectives in Spanish texts and noting their placement and endings. Then, try creating your own sentences, paying close attention to agreement.

Remember: Don’t be afraid to make mistakes! Learning a language is a journey, and every step counts. ¡Buena suerte! (Good luck!)