Gramática: adjetivos 
Gramática: adjetivos


 
Adjectives

An adjective is a word that describes a person, place or thing: nice, short, sunny, useful.  In English, you can use the same adjective to describe 1 person or 10. Let's look at the adjective short, for example. 

Examples

Joe is short. Sara is short. Joe and Sara are short.

In Spanish, you match the adjective to the person, place or thing you're describing.  Let's look at the word for short, bajo. 

Examples

Joe is short. Sara is short. Joe and Sara are short.
José es bajo. Sara es baja. Joe y Sara son bajos. 

Rules:
  1. If the noun is feminine, the adjective can't end in -o.  Change the -o ending to -a.
  2. If the noun is feminine, the adjective can't end in -ol, -or, -ón, or -és. Add an a:  -ola, -ora, -ona, -esa. 
  3. If your noun is plural, your adjective must be, too.  Add -s or -es to the end.  Add -s if the adjective ends in a vowel, and -es if it ends in a consonant.
  4. If your noun is plural and feminine, the adjective can't end in -os. Change -os to -as.

Examples

Carlos is Mexican. Tania is Mexican. Carlos and Tania are Mexican.
Carlos es mexicano. Tania es mexicana. Carlos y Tania son mexicanos.

Arturo is Spanish.  Antonia is Spanish. Arturo and Antonia are Spanish.
Arturo es español. Antonia es española. Arturo y Antonia son españoles.

Henry is English. Helen is English. Henry and Helen are English.
Henry es inglés. Helen es inglesa. Henry y Helen son ingleses.



Summary

Rules: 
  1. If the noun is feminine, the adjective can't end in -o. Change the -o ending to -a.
  2. If the noun is feminine, the adjective can't end in -ol, -ón, or -és. Add an a and remove the accent: -ola, -ona, -esa.
  3. If the noun is plural, the adjective must be, too. Add -s (if the adjective ends in a vowel) or -es (if it ends in a consonant). 
  4. If the noun is plural and feminine, the adjective can't end in -os. Change -os to -as.