Adjetivo
Overview
An adjective agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies. It almost always comes after the noun it describes.
Adjectives that end in -o are masculine in form and agree with a masculine noun. Those that end in -o change the -o to an -a when describing a feminine noun. Adjectives that do not end in -o have the same form for describing both masculine and feminine nouns.
Adjectives that end in a vowel add -s to form the plural. Otherwise -es is added to form the plural.
Possessive
Possessive adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. They precede the noun.
| Singular | Plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Mi(s) | My | Nuestro(s), nuestra(s) | Our |
| Tu(s) | Your | Vuestro(s), vuestra(s) | Your |
| Su(s) | His, her, their |
The vuestro(s), vuestra(s) form is used only in Spain.
Demonstratives
There are three demonstrative adjectives. They agree in number and gender with the nouns they modify. Neuter demonstrative pronouns refer to an object that is not known, a statement, or a general idea.
| English | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| this | este | esta | esto |
| these | estos | estas | estos |
| that | ese | esa | eso |
| those | esos | esas | esos |
| that (over there) | aquel | aquella | aquello |
| those (over there) | aquellos | aquellas | aquellos |
Irregular Order
Most adjectives follow the noun they modify. There exist exceptions though.
| Adjective | Translation | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| alguno | some | Before a singular masculine noun, it is written as algún. Its plural form is often unused. |
| ambos | both | |
| bastante | enough | |
| bueno | good | Drops the -o before a singular masculine noun. After the adjective works, but loses intensity. |
| cada | each | Has the same masculine and feminine form. |
| malo | bad | Drops the -o before a singular masculine noun. After the adjective works, but loses intensity. |
| mucho | many, a lot | |
| poco | a little, a few | |
| próximo | next | |
| suficiente | sufficiente | |
| último | last, final | |
| único | only | |
| varios | several | Never exists in the singular form. |
Certain adjectives also have different meaning before and after the noun. For example, antiguo before a noun translates to previous, former whereas after the noun translates to ancient.
Nationality
When an adjective of nationality ends in a consonant, -a is added to form the feminine.
| Country/Continent | English | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| África | Africa | africano |
| Alemania | Germany | alemán |
| Asia | Asia | asiático |
| Australia | Australia | australiano |
| Canadá | Canada | canadiense |
| China | China | chino |
| Corea | Korea | coreano |
| España | Spain | español |
| Estados Unidos | United States | estadounidense |
| Europa | Europe | europeo |
| Francia | France | francés |
| India | India | hindú |
| Inglaterra | England | inglés |
| Irlanda | Ireland | irlandés |
| Italia | Italy | italiano |
| Japón | Japan | japonés |
| México | Mexico | mexicano |
| Norteamérica | North America | norteamericano |
| Portugal | Portugal | portugués |
| Rusia | Russia | ruso |
| Sudamérica | South America | sudamericano |