The rule, in plain English
Adjectives agree with the noun they describe in gender and number. Adjectives ending in -o normally have four forms: rojo, roja, rojos, rojas. Those ending in -e or -ista normally keep one form for both genders and change only for number. Many other consonant-ending adjectives also keep one gender form, but nationality adjectives and many ending in -or, -án, -ón, or -ín add -a in the feminine. Most descriptive adjectives follow the noun; a small group appears before it or changes meaning with position.
Why it's hard for English speakers
English adjectives do not change, so learners must build a new habit: identify the noun's gender and number before choosing the adjective ending. Consonant-ending adjectives need special attention because some stay the same for gender while others add a feminine -a.
Main adjective agreement classes
| Class | Masculine singular | Feminine singular | Masculine plural | Feminine plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -o: rojo | rojo | roja | rojos | rojas |
| -e: interesante | interesante | interesante | interesantes | interesantes |
| most consonants: azul | azul | azul | azules | azules |
| nationality: español | español | española | españoles | españolas |
| -or: trabajador | trabajador | trabajadora | trabajadores | trabajadoras |
| -ista: optimista | optimista | optimista | optimistas | optimistas |
| -z: feliz | feliz | feliz | felices | felices |
Position and common shortened forms
| Pattern | Before the noun | After the noun | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| bueno | un buen libro | un libro bueno | good; buen before masculine singular |
| malo | un mal día | un día malo | bad; mal before masculine singular |
| grande | una gran ciudad | una ciudad grande | great/important vs physically large |
| antiguo | mi antiguo trabajo | un edificio antiguo | former vs old/ancient |
| primero | el primer día | — | primer before masculine singular |
| tercero | el tercer piso | — | tercer before masculine singular |
Agreement with groups
| Nouns in the group | Adjective form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| all masculine | masculine plural | Juan y Pablo son altos. |
| all feminine | feminine plural | Ana y Marta son altas. |
| mixed genders | masculine plural | Ana y Pablo son altos. |
| gender-invariant adjective | same gender form, plural ending | Ana y Pablo son inteligentes. |
Example sentence bank
Shuffling examples…
Common mistakes
- las casas blancolas casas blancasBlancas must agree with casas in feminine plural form.
- los libros interesante rojolos libros interesantes rojosBoth adjectives must agree with the masculine plural noun libros.
- una chica trabajadoruna chica trabajadoraAdjectives ending in -or add -a for the feminine form.
- un grande hotelun gran hotelGrande shortens to gran before a singular noun.
Practice
the red flowers = las flores ___
tall (fem. sing.) = ___
unas chicas ___
big houses = casas ___
Spanish women = mujeres ___
los coches ___
an interesting story = una historia ___
Choose the fully agreeing phrase.