Adjective Agreement & Placement

Introduction

In English, adjectives never change: "a tall man," "a tall woman," "tall people." In Spanish, adjectives must agree with the noun in both gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural). They also usually go after the noun, not before.

Gender Agreement

Adjectives ending in -o / -a

Most adjectives have four forms:

• el gato negro — the black cat (m.)
• la gata negra — the black cat (f.)
• los gatos negros — the black cats (m.)
• las gatas negras — the black cats (f.)

Adjectives ending in -e or a consonant

These have only two forms (singular and plural) — no gender change:

• un problema grande — a big problem
• una casa grande — a big house
• los exámenes fáciles — the easy exams

Adjectives of nationality ending in a consonant

These do add -a for feminine:

• un chico español → una chica española
• un hombre francés → una mujer francesa
• un escritor japonés → una escritora japonesa

Number Agreement

• Add -s if the adjective ends in a vowel: alto → altos
• Add -es if it ends in a consonant: fácil → fáciles
• If it ends in -z, change to -ces: feliz → felices

Placement: After the Noun

The default position for Spanish adjectives is after the noun:

• una casa blanca — a white house
• un libro interesante — an interesting book
• agua fría — cold water

This is the opposite of English and is one of the most common mistakes beginners make.

Exceptions: Before the Noun

Some adjectives go before the noun, usually when they express a subjective quality or quantity:

• buen / mal: un buen amigo (a good friend)
• gran: una gran ciudad (a great city)
• Numbers: tres libros (three books)
• Possessives: mi casa (my house)

Note: Bueno shortens to buen and malo to mal before a masculine singular noun. Grande shortens to gran before any singular noun.

Meaning Changes by Position

A few adjectives change meaning depending on placement:

Practice