Key points about the position of adjectives in Spanish
Most Used to describe nouns and must agree with the nouns they are describing. go after the The name of a thing such as an object, a place or a person. Nouns are often described as naming words. they describe in Spanish.
Some adjectives go before the noun they are describing but they still have to In Spanish, an adjective must agree with the noun or nouns they are describing, which means that they have to show if they are masculine or feminine and singular or plural to match the noun. with the noun’s Nouns in Spanish are classified into two groups: masculine or feminine. Each noun therefore has a gender..
Some adjectives are shortened when they come in front of a In Spanish, all nouns have a gender, either masculine or feminine.Refers to only one object or person. noun.
The meanings of a few adjectives change according to whether they are before the noun or after the noun in the sentence.
Position of adjectives after the noun
In Spanish, unlike in English, most adjectives come after the noun they are describing.
For example:
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - a white house
The adjective - blanca - comes after the noun - casa.
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - black hair
The adjective - negro - comes after the noun - pelo.
Position of adjectives in front of the noun
Some adjectives can go before the noun they are describing but they still have to agree.
For example:
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - the second film
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - the first days
Common adjectives that usually come before the noun include:
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - a little
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - a lot
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - next
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - last
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - some, any
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - none
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - first
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - second
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - third
The shortening of some adjectives before singular masculine nouns
Some adjectives are shortened when they come in front of a masculine singular noun.
| Adjective | Translation | Before a masc sing noun | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | good | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Es un buen colegio | A good school |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | bad | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Hace mal tiempo | It’s bad weather |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | first | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Es el primer día | It's the first day |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | third | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Es mi tercer examen del día | It's my third exam of the day |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | some, any | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Prefiero hacer algún deporte | I prefer doing some sport |
| Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | no, none | Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. | No tengo ningún queso | I have no cheese |
Remember
Remember to add an accent on algún and ningún.
Position of adjectives - Mini quiz
Fill in the blank with the correct form of the adjective:
No tengo ______ plan.
I haven’t got any plans.
No tengo ningún plan.
Plan is a masculine singular noun and ninguno should be shortened to ningún.
How adjectives can change their meaning
The meaning of some adjectives changes depending on whether they are before the noun or after the noun in the sentence.
Four common adjectives that follow this pattern are:
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again.
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again.
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again.
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again.
The different meanings of 'grande'
The adjective Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. means 'big' when it comes after the noun and 'great' when it comes before a noun.
Note that grande is shortened before both In Spanish, all nouns have a gender, either masculine or feminine. and In Spanish, all nouns have a gender and are either masculine or feminine. nouns.
For example:
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - a great school
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - a big school
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - a great woman
Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. - a big woman
The different meanings of 'viejo'
The adjective Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. means ‘old’, ‘former’ or ‘longstanding’ before the noun and ‘old’ or ‘elderly’ after the noun.
For example:
El viejo coche - The old car
La mujer vieja - The elderly woman
The different meanings of 'nuevo'
The adjective Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. means ‘new’ or ‘another’ before the noun and ‘new’ or ‘newly made’ after the noun.
For example:
Tengo un nuevo coche. - I have a new car (meaning new to me).
Tengo un coche nuevo. - I have a brand new car.
The different meanings of 'antiguo'
The adjective Check your connection, refresh the page and try again. means ‘former’ before the noun and ‘old’ or ‘ancient’ after the noun.
For example:
Mi antiguo profesor de español fue major. - My former Spanish teacher was better.
El castillo antiguo - The ancient castle
Quiz - Position of adjectives
Practise what you've learned about positioning of adjectives with this quiz.
Now you have learned about the position of adjectives in Spanish why not explore possessive adjectives?
More on Adjectives and adverbs
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