Adjectives in Spanish work differently from English in three key ways: they must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe, they usually come after the noun (not before), and some adjectives shorten before masculine nouns. This guide explains all three principles clearly and covers comparatives and superlatives.
Gender and Number Agreement
Every Spanish adjective must match the noun it modifies in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural). This is the fundamental rule of Spanish adjectives.
Four-Form Adjectives (most common)
Adjectives ending in -o have four forms:
| Masculine | Feminine | |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | alto (tall) | alta |
| Plural | altos | altas |
- El chico es alto. — The boy is tall.
- La chica es alta. — The girl is tall.
- Los chicos son altos. — The boys are tall.
- Las chicas son altas. — The girls are tall.
Two-Form Adjectives
Adjectives ending in -e or most consonants have only two forms (singular and plural — same for both genders):
| Masculine & Feminine | |
|---|---|
| Singular | inteligente / difícil / azul |
| Plural | inteligentes / difíciles / azules |
- El problema es difícil. / La pregunta es difícil.
- Los problemas son difíciles. / Las preguntas son difíciles.
Adjectives of Nationality
Nationality adjectives ending in a consonant add -a for feminine:
- español → española (Spanish)
- inglés → inglesa (English)
- francés → francesa (French)
- alemán → alemana (German)
- australiano → australiana (Australian — already ends in -o)
Position: After or Before the Noun?
The default position for Spanish adjectives is after the noun — the opposite of English:
- un coche rojo — a red car (NOT un rojo coche)
- una persona inteligente — an intelligent person
- el libro interesante — the interesting book
Adjectives That Go BEFORE the Noun
Some adjectives typically or always precede the noun:
- Numbers and ordinals: tres libros, el primer día
- Possessives: mi casa, tu coche, nuestro país
- Demonstratives: este libro, esa ciudad, aquellos años
- Indefinite quantities: mucho dinero, poco tiempo, bastante gente
- bueno/malo before noun: changes meaning (see below)
Adjectives That Change Meaning by Position
Some adjectives carry different meanings depending on whether they come before or after the noun:
| Adjective | After noun (objective) | Before noun (subjective/figurative) |
|---|---|---|
| grande | un hombre grande — a physically big man | un gran hombre — a great man |
| pobre | una familia pobre — a financially poor family | una pobre familia — an unfortunate/pitiful family |
| viejo | un amigo viejo — an elderly friend | un viejo amigo — a long-standing/old friend |
| único | una solución única — a unique/original solution | la única solución — the only solution |
| cierto | información cierta — certain/definite information | cierta información — certain (some) information |
Shortened Adjective Forms (Apocope)
Several common adjectives shorten when placed before a masculine singular noun:
| Full form | Short form (before masc. sing.) | Example |
|---|---|---|
| bueno | buen | un buen libro (a good book) |
| malo | mal | un mal día (a bad day) |
| primero | primer | el primer piso (the first floor) |
| tercero | tercer | el tercer capítulo (the third chapter) |
| grande | gran | un gran hombre (a great man) |
| cualquiera | cualquier | cualquier día (any day) |
| santo | san | San Pablo (Saint Paul) — not before Do- or To- |
These short forms are only used before masculine singular nouns. The full form is used in all other positions: el libro es bueno, una buena película.
Comparatives
Spanish comparatives follow simple patterns:
More than / Less than / As ... as
- más + adjective + que = more ... than
Madrid es más grande que Salamanca. — Madrid is bigger than Salamanca. - menos + adjective + que = less ... than
Este libro es menos interesante que el otro. — This book is less interesting than the other. - tan + adjective + como = as ... as
El español es tan difícil como el italiano. — Spanish is as difficult as Italian.
Irregular Comparatives
| Adjective | Comparative | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| bueno (good) | mejor | better |
| malo (bad) | peor | worse |
| grande (big/old) | mayor | bigger / older |
| pequeño (small/young) | menor | smaller / younger |
Superlatives
The superlative (the most / the least) is formed with the definite article + más/menos:
- el/la/los/las + más/menos + adjective
- Madrid es la ciudad más grande de España. — Madrid is the biggest city in Spain.
- Es el peor momento para llamar. — It is the worst moment to call.
- Es la mejor paella que he comido. — It is the best paella I have eaten.
Absolute Superlative (-ísimo)
Adding -ísimo/a/os/as to an adjective expresses an extreme degree — "extremely" or "very very":
- grande → grandísimo — extremely big
- bueno → buenísimo — absolutely excellent
- fácil → facilísimo — extremely easy
- rico → riquísimo — absolutely delicious
- caro → carísimo — extremely expensive
This form is very common in everyday spoken Spanish: ¡Está buenísimo! — It's absolutely delicious!