If you want to describe things well in Spanish, learning basic adjectives is very important.

Adjectives are words that help us understand more about nouns. They tell us things like size, color, and quality. In this post, we’ll go over some common adjectives and how to use them in Spanish sentences.

Where Adjectives Go

In Spanish, adjectives usually come after the nouns they describe.

This is different from English, where they come before the noun.

For example, to say “the big house” in Spanish, you would say “la casa grande.”

Common Basic Adjectives

Here are some basic adjectives to get you started:

1. Grande - big
   • Example: “El perro es grande.” (The dog is big.)
2. Pequeño - small
   • Example: “La pelota es pequeña.” (The ball is small.)
3. Bonito - beautiful, nice
   • Example: “El vestido es bonito.” (The dress is beautiful.)
4. Feo - ugly
   • Example: “El coche es feo.” (The car is ugly.)

Using these adjectives can help you speak better and understand conversations.

Matching Adjectives and Nouns

When you use adjectives with nouns in Spanish, remember they need to match in gender and number.

Nouns can be masculine or feminine, and adjectives must agree with them.

• For masculine singular nouns, adjectives usually end in -o.
  • Example: “El niño es bonito.” (The boy is nice.)
• For feminine singular nouns, adjectives usually end in -a.
  • Example: “La niña es bonita.” (The girl is nice.)
• For masculine plural nouns, adjectives change to -os.
  • Example: “Los niños son bonitos.” (The boys are nice.)
• For feminine plural nouns, adjectives change to -as.
  • Example: “Las niñas son bonitas.” (The girls are nice.)

Colors

Colors are important adjectives you should know. Here are some basic colors:

1. Rojo - red
   • Example: “El coche es rojo.” (The car is red.)
2. Azul - blue
   • Example: “La casa es azul.” (The house is blue.)
3. Verde - green
   • Example: “El árbol es verde.” (The tree is green.)
4. Amarillo - yellow
   • Example: “El sol es amarillo.” (The sun is yellow.)

Just like other adjectives, color adjectives also change to match the nouns:

• “El coche rojo” (the red car) becomes “Los coches rojos” (the red cars) for plural.

Numbers as Adjectives

Numbers can also be used as adjectives in Spanish. Here are the numbers 1-10:

1. Uno (1)
2. Dos (2)
3. Tres (3)
4. Cuatro (4)
5. Cinco (5)
6. Seis (6)
7. Siete (7)
8. Ocho (8)
9. Nueve (9)
10. Diez (10)

Examples:

• “Tengo dos gatos.” (I have two cats.)
• “Ella compra tres manzanas.” (She buys three apples.)

Days of the Week

You can describe activities by using the days of the week. Here they are in Spanish:

• Lunes (Monday)
• Martes (Tuesday)
• Miércoles (Wednesday)
• Jueves (Thursday)
• Viernes (Friday)
• Sábado (Saturday)
• Domingo (Sunday)

Example:

• “El lunes es un día grande.” (Monday is a big day.)
• “Los viernes son pequeños.” (Fridays feel smaller compared to the work week.)

Clothing and Body Parts

Basic clothing items and body parts can also be described with adjectives:

• Camisa (shirt)

  • “La camisa es bonita.” (The shirt is nice.)

• Pantalones (pants)

  • “Los pantalones son grandes.” (The pants are big.)

• Zapatos (shoes)

  • “Los zapatos son feos.” (The shoes are ugly.)

• Cabeza (head)

  • “La cabeza es pequeña.” (The head is small.)

• Mano (hand)

  • “La mano es bonita.” (The hand is beautiful.)

Food and Drink

Don’t forget to use adjectives when talking about food and drinks!

• Fruta (fruit)

  • Example: “La fruta es fresca.” (The fruit is fresh.)

• Carne (meat)

  • Example: “La carne es deliciosa.” (The meat is tasty.)

• Agua (water)

  • Example: “El agua es fría.” (The water is cold.)

• Leche (milk)

  • Example: “La leche es blanca.” (The milk is white.)

Conclusion

In summary, knowing how to use adjectives with nouns will help you describe things in Spanish better.

Practice making sentences with these adjectives and pay attention to how they work with the nouns.

With time, you’ll find it easier to express yourself clearly in everyday conversations!