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An adjective agrees in gender and number with the noun it describes, and it is usually placed after that noun. Before an adjective, muy (“very”) does not change; before a noun, mucho (“a lot of”, “many”) agrees with it.
Adjective agreement#
Formation
The feminine of adjectives in -o is formed by replacing -o with -a: alto, alta; nuevo, nueva. Adjectives of nationality ending in a consonant add -a in the feminine, and their written accent, if they have one, is dropped: español, española; francés, francesa; alemán, alemana. Adjectives in -e and the other adjectives in a consonant have one form for both genders: grande, interesante, fácil, azul, joven.
The plural of an adjective is formed like that of a noun: -s after a vowel (altos, altas, grandes), -es after a consonant (fáciles, azules, españoles). The written accent is dropped in ingleses, alemanes, and added in jóvenes.
| Masculine singular | Feminine singular | Masculine plural | Feminine plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| alto | alta | altos | altas |
| español | española | españoles | españolas |
| inglés | inglesa | ingleses | inglesas |
| grande | grande | grandes | grandes |
| fácil | fácil | fáciles | fáciles |
Use
An adjective agrees with the gender of the Spanish noun: el coche nuevo es rápido (“the new car is fast”). When it describes a masculine and a feminine noun together, it is masculine plural: Pablo y Elena son altos. After ser and estar, it agrees with the subject: Las sillas son nuevas.
- Mi abuela es muy simpática.My grandmother is very nice.
- Los zapatos negros son caros.The black shoes are expensive.
- Tengo dos amigas inglesas.I have two English friends.
- Para mí, el español es fácil.For me, Spanish is easy.
- Mis padres son jóvenes.My parents are young.
Difference from English
An English adjective never changes: “a tall man”, “two tall women”. A Spanish adjective agrees with its noun every time, even far from it, after ser or estar: La mesa es blanca, Los pantalones son caros. Each adjective therefore has up to four forms, and the gender to use is the noun's, not the sex of a person or the meaning of the thing.
Common mistakes
unas casas blanco→ unas casas blancasThe adjective agrees with the feminine plural noun casas.Los pantalones son caro.→ Los pantalones son caros.After ser, the adjective agrees with the subject, here in the plural.una ciudad grando→ una ciudad grandeAdjectives in -e have one form in the singular.Ella es francésa.→ Ella es francesa.In the feminine, the written accent of francés is dropped.
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The position of the adjective#
Use
A describing adjective is usually placed after the noun: una casa blanca, un libro interesante, una ciudad grande. Adjectives of colour and nationality come after the noun. Numbers, mucho, poco, possessives like mi and demonstratives like este come before the noun: dos coches rápidos, mi casa nueva.
- Tengo una bicicleta roja.I have a red bike.
- Vivimos en un piso pequeño.We live in a small flat.
- Es una película italiana muy famosa.It's a very famous Italian film.
- Mi hermano tiene un perro negro.My brother has a black dog.
Difference from English
In English, the adjective comes before the noun (“a red bike”, “a small flat”); in Spanish, it usually comes after: una bicicleta roja, un piso pequeño. Only the words that count or point (dos, mucho, mi, este) are placed before the noun, as in English.
Common mistakes
un pequeño piso→ un piso pequeñoA describing adjective usually comes after the noun.un rojo coche→ un coche rojoAn adjective of colour comes after the noun.una española película→ una película españolaAn adjective of nationality comes after the noun.
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Muy and mucho: very, a lot#
Formation
Muy (“very”) and bastante (“quite”) are placed before an adjective or an adverb and do not change; only the adjective agrees: muy alto, muy altas, bastante grande, muy bien. No muy means “not very”: no muy caro.
Mucho, poco, bastante before a noun. Before a noun, mucho (“a lot of”, “much”, “many”) and poco (“little”, “few”) agree with it in gender and number: mucho pan, mucha leche, muchos amigos, muchas tiendas; poco dinero, pocas sillas. Bastante (“enough”, “quite a lot of”) adds -s in the plural: bastante agua, bastantes libros. The noun follows with no preposition.
Mucho, poco, bastante after a verb. After a verb, they are adverbs and do not change: Trabaja mucho, Leo poco, Estudiamos bastante.
| Use | Form | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| before an adjective or an adverb | muy, bastante | muy alta, bastante caros, muy bien |
| before a noun | mucho, mucha, muchos, muchas; poco…; bastante, bastantes | muchos niños, poca carne, bastantes sillas |
| after a verb | mucho, poco, bastante | Come mucho. Lee poco. |
Hambre (“hunger”) is a noun, so “very hungry” is said with mucho, agreeing: Tengo mucha hambre.
- El hotel es muy caro.The hotel is very expensive.
- En mi calle hay muchas tiendas.There are a lot of shops in my street.
- Mi abuelo lee mucho.My grandfather reads a lot.
- Tenemos poco dinero.We have little money.
- Esta película italiana es bastante larga.This Italian film is quite long.
Difference from English
Muy is “very”, before an adjective or an adverb; mucho covers “a lot”, “much” and “many”, before a noun or after a verb. Unlike “a lot of”, mucho agrees with the noun and takes no de: “a lot of houses” is muchas casas. English “very hungry” is an adjective, but Spanish uses a noun, hambre, so it takes mucha, not muy.
Common mistakes
Hay mucho personas.→ Hay muchas personas.Before a noun, mucho agrees with it.Hay muchos de libros.→ Hay muchos libros.Mucho takes no de, unlike “a lot of”.Trabajo muy.→ Trabajo mucho.After a verb, “a lot” is mucho.Tengo muy hambre.→ Tengo mucha hambre.Hambre is a feminine noun: mucha.
In short
| Point | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| adjective in -o | -o, -a, -os, -as | alto, alta, altos, altas |
| nationality in a consonant | -a in the feminine, no accent | francés, francesa |
| adjective in -e, in a consonant | one form for both genders | grande, fácil |
| plural | -s after a vowel, -es after a consonant | grandes, azules |
| position | after the noun, usually | una casa blanca |
| muy | before an adjective or an adverb; does not change | muy caras |
| mucho | before a noun (agrees); after a verb (does not change) | muchas casas; come mucho |
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