Spanish Adjectives – with audio!

Are you fed up with using “bien” and “mal” to describe everything you say in Spanish?

Then take a look at the adjectives in this article that will help you to widen your vocabulary pool to the max!

We’ve been using “bien” and “mal” as our go-to describing words for a while now. But saying the same adjectives over and over again is like only ever using salt and pepper to flavor your meals. That might be all you need on some dishes, but it’s often nice to give your food a little extra seasoning. And the same applies when you speak. 

If you are looking for some new adjectives that will enrich your Spanish vocabulary then you have come to the right place. In this article, you will find some of the most common and useful adjectives that will help you add a generous helping of pizzazz to your Spanish sentences. 

In this article we’ll cover:

• What are the Spanish adjectives?
• Placement
• The characteristics of Spanish adjectives
  • Gender and number
  • Gender exceptions
• List of Spanish adjectives and examples
  • Physical features
  • Emotions and states
  • Personality and behavior
  • Sizes and dimensions
  • Physical feelings and senses
  • Taste
  • Situations
  • Speed and difficulty
  • Nationality
  • Colors
• Practice time
• Final words
• Answers

By the end of this guide, you should feel more confident using a variety of Spanish adjectives that will add a splash of color to your conversations. 

So let’s get started!

What are Spanish adjectives?

Spanish adjectives are words used to describe, modify or quantify the noun or the subject that you are talking about. 

Adjectives bring life to a sentence like a sprinkle of chili pepper adds a zing to a dish. They are descriptive words that could include colors, nationalities, personality characteristics, physical characteristics, weight, shape, temperature, and flavors.

 Examples:

• The black dog
  El perro negro

• My beautiful sister
  Mi hermana bonita

• The small house
  La casa pequeña

Placement 

As you can see from the examples, when using adjectives the sentence structure in Spanish is different from English. In English, the adjective almost always goes before the noun or the subject. 

Example: 

• The red car

In Spanish, however, it’s the opposite. Spanish adjectives usually go after the noun or the subject.

Example:

• The red car
  El carro rojo

However, if you are describing a noun or subject using the verbs “ser” or “estar” you form the sentences the same as you would in English.

Examples:

• I am happy
  Yo estoy feliz

• She is beautiful and friendly
  Ella es bonita y amigable

Yeah, we get it. Using descriptive words in Spanish makes you feel like you’re speaking back to front or upside down. While we do not recommend that you stand on your head to improve your Spanish grammar, we also do not condone it.  

But not to worry, as we have plenty more examples coming up, that will help you master this portion of Spanish grammar. These examples will assist you with creating perfectly spiced Spanish sentences full of interesting and flavorsome adjectives. 

The characteristics of Spanish adjectives

Before we empty our kitchen cupboards of every condiment we own, we must look at the recipe and see which ones we’ll need. So, before we dive straight into our list of Spanish adjectives, let’s have a look at some of their characteristics that you should keep in mind.

Gender and number

Here’s a portion of Spanish grammar that usually leaves us in a bit of a muddle. You will have already noticed that nouns and subjects in Spanish have a gender. They can be either masculine or feminine. They also have a number. They can be singular or plural.

But is all of this really important? 

We must say, yes it is. Because the noun or subject always has to agree with the adjective. 

Ok, so what does all that mean?

It means that if the noun or the subject is feminine, the adjective must be feminine too. Or if the noun or the subject is plural, the adjective must be plural too. 

Now that’s a lot to take in at one time. So, let’s clarify this idea with some examples. 

• The small house
  La casa pequeña

• The small houses
  Las casas pequeñas

• The small car
  El carro pequeño

• The small cars
  Los carros pequeños

• The beautiful girl
  La niña bonita

• The beautiful girls
  Las niñas bonitas

• The beautiful boy
  El niño bonito

• The beautiful boys
  Los niños bonitos

• The red apple
  La manzana roja

• The red apples
  Las manzanas rojas

• The red mango
  El mango rojo

• The red mangos
  Los mangos rojos

Note: For more information on nouns, make sure you check out our nouns guide.

Perhaps you’re a little confused about how to make the gender of a noun or subject match an adjective. So here’s what you should know. 

Most nouns that end in the letter “o” in Spanish are masculine, and most nouns that end in the letter “a” in Spanish are feminine. This little rule should help you see how the nouns and subjects in the examples above agree with the adjectives, genders, and numbers.

Gender exceptions

Cooking a meal with perfectly balanced condiments takes a lot of hard work. And learning to use a variety of adjectives in Spanish does too. This is because some adjectives are exceptions to the rule. Some Spanish adjectives do not follow the “a” or “o” masculine feminine pattern that we are familiar with. 

Let’s review those adjective endings and their exceptions:

English	Adjective letter ending	Spanish singular	Spanish plural
Smart  Hot  Big Kind Cheerful  Sad	E	Inteligente Caliente Grande  Amable Alegre Triste	Inteligentes Calientes Grandes Amables Alegres Tristes
Perfectionist  Alarmist	Ista	Perfeccionista  Alarmista	Perfecccionistas Alarmistas
Blue  Gray  Happy  Young	Consonant	Azul Gris  Feliz Joven	Azules Grises Felices Jóvenes
Better  Worse  Less	Or	Mejor Peor  Menor	Mejores Peores Menores

Examples:

• I am happy
  Yo estoy feliz

• The blue bicycle
  La bicicleta azul

• The cheerful party
  La fiesta alegre

• The gray houses
  Las casas grises

• The hot coffee
  El café caliente

• My smart friend
  Mi amiga inteligente

• Mi mother is a perfectionist
  Mi madre es perfeccionista

As you can see in the chart and the examples, these adjectives don’t change when put with a noun, subject, or gender. They only change in number, from singular to plural. 

Are you ready for a challenge? Then here comes an exception to an exception!

Spanish adjectives that end in the letters “or”, “ón”, and “in” are feminine although they end in a consonant. For them to agree with a subject or noun, you will need to add the letter “a” to the end of the word.

Examples:

• My talkative friend
  Mi amiga habladora

• My chatty girlfriend
  Mi novia parlanchina

• My hardworking family
  Mi familia trabajadora

List of Spanish adjectives and examples

We have arrived at our smorgasbord of Spanish adjectives. In this next section, you will find some appetizing adjectives that describe sizes, colors, physical descriptions, personalities, and more. To accompany these interesting adjectives you’ll find some examples. We’ve divided them into bite-sized chunks to make them easier to learn.

Physical features

Is he tall or is he short? Young or old?

Learning Spanish adjectives that we can use to describe people is really important. Take a look at the following list of adjectives and see which ones you’d like to learn first. 

Why not start off with the ones that you could use to describe yourself?

English	Spanish
Tall	Alto
Short	Bajo
Thin	Delgado
Fat	Gordo
Beautiful	Bonito
Ugly	Feo
Young	Joven
Old	Viejo
Strong	Fuerte
Weak	Débil
Blonde	Rubio
Tanned or brown-haired	Moreno

Examples:

• The old cat
  El gato viejo

• The fat and beautiful dog 
  El perro gordo y bonito

• I work out, I am strong
  Yo hago ejercicio, soy fuerte

• Maria is tanned, tall, and thin
  Maria es morena, alta, y delgada

Emotions and states 

How are you feeling today?

Now, we could be tempted to fall back on our favorite adjectives “bien” and “mal” to answer this question. But here are some alternatives that will help you say a little more. 

English	Spanish
Happy	Feliz
Sad	Triste
Relaxed	Relajado
Angry	Enojado
Thoughtful	Pensativo
Worried	Preocupado
Surprised	Sorprendido
Tired	Cansado
Good	Bien
Bad	Mal
Sick	Enfermo
In love	Enamorado

Examples:

• The happy girl
  La niña feliz

• The sad boy
  El niño triste

• My friends are good
  Mis amigos están bien

• They are tired from studying a lot
  Ellos están cansados por estudiar mucho

Note: The adjectives “bien” and “mal” are always used in the singular, regardless of a plural noun or subject.

Personality and behavior

What kind of person is she? 

We all need adjectives to help us describe what someone is like. Here is a list of the most common to get you started.

English	Spanish
Kind	Amable
Smart	Inteligente
Responsible	Responsable
Friendly	Amigable
Good	Bueno
Bad	Malo
Polite	Educado
Rude	Maleducado
Extrovert	Extrovertido
Introvert	Introvertido
Sincere	Sincero
Lier	Mentiroso
Happy	Alegre
Happy	Contento
Crazy	Loco
Serious	Serio
Shy	Tímido
Talkative	Hablador
Chatterbox	Parlanchín
Hardworking	Trabajador
Lazy	Vago
Affectionate	Cariñoso
Rich	Rico
Poor	Pobre

Examples:

• They are good students
  Ellos son buenos estudiantes

• My educated and rich friend
  Mi amigo educado y rico

• I am friendly and affectionate
  Yo soy amigable y cariñosa

• Laura and Ana are very kind with me
  Laura y Ana son muy amables conmigo

Sizes and dimensions

How far away is it?

To describe distances, sizes, and dimensions, we will need another set of adjectives. These are the most useful.

English	Spanish
Big	Grande
Small	Pequeño
Short	Corto
Long	Largo
Wide	Ancho
Narrow	Estrecho
Far	Lejos
Close	Cerca
Full	Lleno
Empty	Vacío

Examples:

• The big house
  La casa grande

• The small dog
  El perro pequeño

• The street is short
  La calle es corta

• The fridge is empty
  La nevera está vacía

Physical feelings and senses

How would you describe something that is hot to touch? Or what about something bland? 

In this set of adjectives, you’ll see the most important words that will help you describe physical feelings and senses.

English	Spanish
Cold	Frio
Hot	Caliente
Smooth	Suave
Rough	Áspero
Soft	Blando
Hard	Duro

Examples:

• The hot tea
  El té caliente

• The hard table
  La mesa dura

• The food is cold
  La comida está fría

• The smooth bed
  La cama suave

Taste

 Are you dying to tell your friends about the rich and creamy chocolate dessert you had after lunch today?

Then you won’t have to leave anything to the imagination thanks to the help of the following adjectives.  

English	Spanish
Sweet	Dulce
Salty	Salado
Spicy	Picante
Sour	Agrio
Bitter	Amargo
Delicious	Delicioso
Disgusting	Asqueroso

Examples:

• The delicious dessert
  El postre delicioso

• Mexican food is spicy
  La comida mexicana es picante

• The breakfast is salty, I don’t like it
  El desayuno está salado, no me gusta

Situations

You’re itching to talk about the funny thing that happened to you at the weekend. And for that, you can make use of some of the following adjectives.

English	Spanish
Dangerous	Peligroso
Safe	Seguro
Funny, fun	Divertido
Bored	Aburrido
Possible	Posible
Impossible	Imposible
Incredible	Increíble

Examples:

• The date with Juan was awful
  La cita con Juan fue malísima

• The park is dangerous at night
  El parque es peligroso en la noche

• The LingoToGo class is always fun
  La clase de LingoToGo siempre es divertida

Speed and difficulty

What’s the hardest thing about learning Spanish? 

To talk about speed and difficulty in Spanish, you’ll need some more adjectives. These are the most useful for you to learn. 

English	Spanish
Easy	Fácil
Difficult	Difícil
Fast	Rápido
Slow	Lento
Simple	Simple
Complicated	Complicado

Examples:

• My work is difficult
  Mi trabajo es difícil

• The train goes very slow
  El tren va muy lento

• The problem is complicated
  El problema es complicado

Nationality

Nationalities are adjectives that come up often in conversation especially when you are describing someone. Here is a list of some of them.

English	Spanish
American (EE. UU.)	Estadounidense / norteamericano
Canadian	Canadiense
European	Europeo
British	Británico
Australian	Austaliano
French	Francés
German	Alemán
Italian	Italiano
Spanish	Español
Dutch	Holandés
Latin American	Latino/latinoamericano
Mexican	Mexicano
Colombian	Colombiano
Venezuelan	Venezolano
Argentinian	Argentino
Chilean	Chileno
Peruvian	Peruano
Bolivian	Boliviano
Ecuadorian	Ecuatoriano
Brazilian	Brasileño

Examples:

• My girlfriend is Mexican
  Mi novia es mexicana

• My friends are British
  Mis amigos son británicos

• My familia is Venezuelan
  Mi familia es venezolana

• The Spanish students are North American
  Los estudiantes de español son norteamericanos

Colors

Colors are also very important descriptive words.

English	Spanish
Yellow	Amarillo
Blue	Azul
Red	Rojo
Green	Verde
Orange	Naranja
Violet	Violeta
White	Blanco
Black	Negro
Gray	Gris
Brown	Marrón
Light	Claro
Dark	Oscuro

Examples:

• The black dog
  El perro negro

• I like the blue shirt
  Me gusta la camisa azul

• Ana’s car is green
  El carro de Ana es verde

• My house is gray and white
  Mi casa es gris y blanca

Wow! Now there are enough new words there to keep you busy for a good while! But it is impossible for you to learn them all at once. 

So, why not start with the adjectives that you need to describe yourself and your family? 

Then once you’ve got those fixed in mind, you can move on to some of the others. 

Practice time

The key to mastering new vocabulary is practice, so now it’s your turn. 

Exercise 1: Choose the right Spanish adjective, taking into account the number and gender 

1. The red apples
   Las manzanas rojos/roja/rojas

2. The food is delicious
   La comida es deliciosas/delicioso/deliciosa

3. Sara is American
   Sara es americano/americana/americanos

4. My friends are in a safe place
   Mis amigos están en un lugar segura/seguro/seguros

5. My neighbor’s house is big
   La casa de mi vecino es grande/grando/grandes

6. My students are smart
   Mis estudiantes son inteligente/inteligentos/inteligentes

7. The neighbour is tall, thin, and blonde
   La vecina es alto/alta/altos, delgada/delgado, y rubios/rubio/rubia

8. My boyfriend is Colombian and his family is Venezuelan
   Mi novio es colombiano/colombiana y su familia es venezolanas/venezolano/venezolana

Exercise 2: Fill in the blanks with Spanish adjectives

1. The coffee is cold
   El café está __________

2. The park is big and safe
   El parque es __________ y _______

3. The black dog is beautiful
   El perro _______ es ___________

4. My Spanish teacher is good
   Mi maestra de español es ________

5. The Spanish homework is easy
   La tarea de español es _______

6. The situation is complicated at work
   La situación es _________ en el trabajo

7. The children are happy playing at the school
   Los niños están _________ jugando en la escuela

8. My friends are Argentinian, they are friendly and fun
   Mis amigos son __________, ellos son ________ y _________

Note: The answers are at the end of the article.

Final words

You’ve made it! You’ve gone through all of the vocabulary you need to start forming finger-licking, tasty Spanish sentences. 

Allow us to set you a little challenge. Ban yourself for one week from using the words “bien” or “mal” to describe something. Instead, use the lists in this article to help you find new adjectives and amplify your vocabulary. The more you practice the new word, the faster you’ll be able to commit them to memory. 

But we all need a helping hand when it comes to vocabulary. That’s why our native Spanish teachers are ready to give you the support you need with all these new words. 

Why not take advantage of our unlimited lessons and book a class with a teacher today? 

Check out our series of Complete Spanish Grammar articles – everything you’ll ever need to know about Spanish grammar.

Or, learn more about LingoToGo here.

(10 Day Free only available to students in the Americas and Europe. If you’re outside these regions, check out our offers here.)

Answers

Here are the answers to the exercises in this article:

Exercise 1: Choose the right Spanish adjective, taking into account the number and gender 

1. The red apples
Las manzanas rojas

2. The food is delicious
La comida es deliciosa

3. Sara is American
Sara es americana

4. My friends are in a safe place
Mis amigos están en un lugar seguro

5. My neighbor’s house is big
La casa de mi vecino es grande

6. My students are smart
Mis estudiantes son inteligentes

7. The neighbor is tall, thin, and blonde
La vecina es alta, delgada y rubia

8. My boyfriend is Colombian and his family is Venezuelan
Mi novio es colombiano y su familia es venezolana

Exercise 2: Fill in the blanks with Spanish adjectives

1. The coffee is cold
El café está frío

2. The park is big and safe
El parque es grande y seguro

3. The black dog is beautiful
El perro negro es bonito

4. My Spanish teacher is good
Mi maestra de español es buena

5. The Spanish homework is easy
La tarea de español es fácil

6. The situation is complicated at work
La situación es complicada en el trabajo

7. The children are happy playing at the school
Los niños están felices jugando en la escuela

8. My friends are Argentinian, they are friendly and fun
Mis amigos son argentinos, ellos son amigables y divertidos

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