Adjective agreement is a key part of Spanish grammar. It helps us match adjectives—words that describe—with nouns, which are the names of people, places, or things.

To do this, we have to consider two things:

1. Gender: Nouns can be masculine (like "boy") or feminine (like "girl").
2. Number: Nouns can be singular (one) or plural (more than one).

Gender Agreement

In Spanish, nouns are either masculine or feminine. This changes how we use adjectives. Here are some simple rules:

• Masculine Nouns: Most masculine nouns end with an -o. For example:
  • El coche (the car) → coche rojo (red car).
• Feminine Nouns: Most feminine nouns end with an -a. For example:
  • La casa (the house) → casa roja (red house).

Number Agreement

Nouns and adjectives must match in number too:

• Singular Form: When the noun is singular (one), the adjective also needs to be singular. For example:
  • El libro (the book) → libro interesante (interesting book).
• Plural Form: To change nouns and adjectives to plural (more than one), we usually add -s or -es:
  • If the noun ends in a vowel (like "a" or "o"), we add -s:
    • Los coches (the cars) → coches rojos (red cars).
  • If the noun ends in a consonant (like "t" or "s"), we add -es:
    • Las casas (the houses) → casas rojas (red houses).

Examples of Adjective Agreement

Here are some simple examples:

1. Masculine Singular:
   • El chico alto (the tall boy).
2. Feminine Singular:
   • La chica alta (the tall girl).
3. Masculine Plural:
   • Los chicos altos (the tall boys).
4. Feminine Plural:
   • Las chicas altas (the tall girls).

Combining Gender and Number

When we put together gender and number, we change the adjective to match.

• For masculine singular, we use bonito (pretty):

  • El perro es bonito (The dog is pretty).

• For masculine plural, we change it to bonitos:

  • Los perros son bonitos (The dogs are pretty).

• For feminine singular, it becomes bonita:

  • La flor es bonita (The flower is pretty).

• For feminine plural, we use bonitas:

  • Las flores son bonitas (The flowers are pretty).

Additional Notes

Some adjectives don’t change for gender. For example, interesante (interesting) and feliz (happy) stay the same:

• El amigo feliz (The happy friend - male).
• La amiga feliz (The happy friend - female).

Summary

To grasp adjective agreement in Spanish, remember these points:

1. What is the gender of the noun?
2. Is it singular or plural?
3. Change the adjective to match.

By learning these rules, students can improve their Spanish speaking skills. Practicing with different nouns and adjectives will make learning easier and more fun!