In Spanish, adjectives must match the noun they describe in both gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural). This is called agreement. Unlike English, most Spanish adjectives also follow the noun rather than come before it. Mastering these two rules—agreement and placement—is one of the most important steps in building natural-sounding Spanish sentences.
Most Spanish adjectives end in –o in their base (masculine singular) form. To agree with the noun, you change the ending according to this four-way pattern. This covers the majority of everyday adjectives you will encounter.
| Adjective (meaning) | Masc. Singular | Fem. Singular | Masc. Plural | Fem. Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| tall / high | alto | alta | altos | altas |
| red | rojo | roja | rojos | rojas |
| new | nuevo | nueva | nuevos | nuevas |
| small | pequeño | pequeña | pequeños | pequeñas |
| beautiful | hermoso | hermosa | hermosos | hermosas |
| tired | cansado | cansada | cansados | cansadas |
Examples in sentences: El libro rojo (the red book, masc.) • La flor roja (the red flower, fem.) • Los coches nuevos (the new cars) • Las casas nuevas (the new houses).
Not all adjectives change for gender. Adjectives ending in –e and most adjectives ending in a consonant use the same form for masculine and feminine nouns. Only the number (singular vs. plural) changes for these adjectives. Plurals of –e adjectives add –s; consonant-ending adjectives add –es.
| Adjective (meaning) | Masc./Fem. Singular | Masc./Fem. Plural | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| intelligent | inteligente | inteligentes | el niño inteligente / la niña inteligente |
| interesting | interesante | interesantes | un libro interesante / una clase interesante |
| kind, friendly | amable | amables | el profesor amable / la profesora amable |
| blue | azul | azules | el cielo azul / la puerta azul |
| easy | fácil | fáciles | el examen fácil / la tarea fácil |
| young | joven | jóvenes | el hombre joven / la mujer joven |
Notice that joven has an irregular plural jóvenes—the accent mark is added because the syllable stress shifts when –es is added. This is a regular spelling rule in Spanish, not an exception to memorize separately.
In English, adjectives come before the noun: “a red car,” “an interesting book.” In Spanish, the neutral, default position for most adjectives is after the noun: un coche rojo, un libro interesante. Placing a descriptive adjective before the noun is possible in Spanish but usually signals a stylistic choice, poetic emphasis, or a change in meaning (see the next section).
| Spanish (adjective after noun) | Pronunciation guide | English |
|---|---|---|
| una ciudad moderna | OO-nah syoo-DAHD moh-DER-nah | a modern city |
| un perro pequeño | oon PEH-rroh peh-KEN-yoh | a small dog |
| una idea interesante | OO-nah ee-DEH-ah een-teh-reh-SAN-teh | an interesting idea |
| unos zapatos negros | OO-nohs thah-PAH-tohs NEH-grohs | some black shoes |
| una mujer alta | OO-nah moo-HEHR AL-tah | a tall woman |
When you want to identify or classify something—which is the most common everyday use—put the adjective after the noun and you will be correct in nearly all situations.
A small but important group of Spanish adjectives have different meanings depending on whether they appear before or after the noun. Before the noun, these adjectives often carry a more figurative, emotional, or emphatic sense. After the noun, they carry a more literal or factual sense. The examples below are well-established in standard Spanish; regional variation may exist, so the core contrasts are highlighted.
| Adjective | Before noun | After noun |
|---|---|---|
| grande / gran | un gran hombre — a great man (admirable) | un hombre grande — a big/tall man (physically large) |
| viejo | un viejo amigo — an old friend (longstanding friendship) | un amigo viejo — an elderly friend (advanced in age) |
| pobre | el pobre hombre — the poor man (deserving of pity) | el hombre pobre — the poor man (lacking money) |
| nuevo | mi nuevo coche — my new car (new to me, perhaps used) | mi coche nuevo — my new car (brand-new) |
| antiguo | mi antiguo profesor — my former teacher | una ciudad antigua — an ancient / old city |
These contrasts are genuine and widely taught, but in real conversation the distinction is sometimes blurry or context-dependent. When in doubt, placing the adjective after the noun is the safer, more neutral choice.
Apocopation means dropping the final syllable of certain adjectives when they appear directly before a masculine singular noun. The full form is still used in all other positions: before feminine nouns, after any noun, and as predicates. Below are the standard apocopated adjectives you need to know.
| Full form | Apocopated form | Used before masc. sing. noun | Example (shortened) | Example (full form, other position) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| bueno (good) | buen | yes | un buen día | una buena idea / El día es bueno |
| malo (bad) | mal | yes | un mal momento | una mala noticia / El momento es malo |
| primero (first) | primer | yes | el primer paso | la primera vez / el paso primero |
| tercero (third) | tercer | yes | el tercer piso | la tercera planta / el piso tercero |
| alguno (some, any) | algún | yes | algún día | alguna vez / ¿Tienes alguno? |
| ninguno (no, none) | yes | ningún problema | ninguna razón / No tengo ninguno | |
| grande (great, big) | gran | yes | un gran escritor | una gran actriz / El edificio es grande |
Note that gran also apocopates before a feminine singular noun: una gran actriz (a great actress). This makes grande/gran slightly different from the other adjectives in the table, which only shorten before masculine singular nouns.
When a group contains both masculine and feminine nouns, Spanish adjectives default to the masculine plural form. This grammatical rule is standard across Spain and Latin America.
For example: El chico y la chica son altos. (The boy and the girl are tall.) Even though chica is feminine, the adjective altos takes the masculine plural because the group is mixed. Similarly: Tengo un gato y una gata negros. (I have a black male cat and a black female cat.) The adjective negros is masculine plural despite one of the cats being female.
This rule can feel counterintuitive at first, but it is consistent and predictable: whenever nouns of different genders are grouped together, masculine plural is the default for any adjective describing the group.
• Forgetting to change the adjective ending. English speakers often write la casa rojo instead of la casa roja. Every time you use an adjective, ask: what gender and number is the noun? Then match the adjective ending accordingly.
• Putting adjectives before the noun by habit. Because English always places adjectives before nouns, learners frequently say el rojo coche instead of el coche rojo. Build the habit of noun-first, adjective-second for descriptive adjectives.
• Forgetting apocopation. Saying un bueno amigo instead of un buen amigo is a common slip. Remember: bueno, malo, primero, tercero, alguno, and ninguno all drop their final –o before a masculine singular noun.
• Applying apocopation in the wrong context. Primer is only used directly before a masculine singular noun. Do not write el primer vez—vez is feminine, so the correct form is la primera vez.
• Assuming –e and consonant adjectives always stay the same. They do not change for gender, but they still change for number. Una mujer inteligente → unas mujeres inteligentes. The plural ending is never optional.
Work through these exercises to reinforce what you have learned. Try to complete each one before checking your answer.
Answers: (1) inteligente / unas estudiantes inteligentes • (2) un buen libro / una buena idea • (3) primer • (4) After = elderly; before = long-standing neighbor: “Mi viejo vecino es amable” • (5) Las casas son pequeñas y blancas • (6) trabajadores (masculine plural default for mixed-gender groups).