Spanish Adjectives

In Spanish, adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns. They can express qualities like color, size, shape, and many other attributes. Adjectives must agree in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) with the noun they describe.

For example: La casa blanca (The white house) Los gatos negros (The black cats)

Forming Adjectives Most Spanish adjectives have four forms to match the four possible gender/number combinations:

Masculine Singular: blanco (white) Feminine Singular: blanca Masculine Plural: blancos
Feminine Plural: blancas

Adjectives ending in -o in the masculine form, change to -a for the feminine. Those ending in consonants like -l, -z, etc. add -a for feminine and -s for plural.

Placement of Adjectives Adjectives normally follow the noun they describe:

La mujer alta (The tall woman) Los coches rápidos (The fast cars)

Some adjectives can go before or after the noun without changing meaning like: Un buen chico / Un chico bueno (A good boy)

However, adjective position can sometimes change the meaning. For example: Un hombre pobre (A poor man, lacking money) Un pobre hombre (A poor/pitiful man)

Questions

1. What gender is the noun libro (book)?

2. How would you say "The new books" in Spanish?

3. Do adjectives have to match nouns in number only, or in both number and gender?

4. For adjectives like "verde" (green), what letters are added for feminine and plural forms?

5. Name three adjectives that can go before or after a noun with the same meaning.

Exercises

1. Provide the correct form of the adjective "rojo/roja" (red) to describe: a) Una manzana ____ b) Unos zapatos ____ c) Un coche ____ d) Unas flores ____

2. Translate the following to Spanish:

   a) The tall trees b) A happy child
   c) The new restaurants d) Some beautiful paintings

Spanish Articles

In Spanish, articles are words that come before nouns to indicate if they are masculine or feminine, singular or plural. They are an essential part of speech that must be used with almost all nouns.

The Definite Articles The definite articles ("the" in English) in Spanish are:

el - for singular masculine nouns la - for singular feminine nouns
los - for plural masculine nouns las - for plural feminine nouns

For example: el libro (the book) la casa (the house) los niños (the boys/children) las mesas (the tables)

The Indefinite Articles The indefinite articles ("a/an" in English) in Spanish are:

un - for singular masculine nouns una - for singular feminine nouns

Unlike English, Spanish does not have an indefinite article for plural nouns.

Examples: un coche (a car) una silla (a chair)

Use of the Definite Article The definite article is used:

• Before nouns referring to something specific

• Before titles, names, and most geographic locations

• Before days of the week, months, and seasons

• Before languages and academic subjects

Examples: El señor García (Mr. Garcia) La España (Spain) El lunes (Monday) El español (Spanish language)

Use of the Indefinite Article
The indefinite article is used:

• Before singular countable nouns referring to something general

• Before professions and nationalities

Examples: Tengo un gato (I have a cat) Ella es una doctora (She is a doctor) Él es un francés (He is a Frenchman)

Questions

1. What definite article is used for plural feminine nouns?

2. True or false: The indefinite article is used before plural nouns.

3. Provide the correct definite article for the noun "río" (river).

4. Translate "a teacher" to Spanish.

5. Name two situations where the definite article is required.

Exercises

1. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate definite article:

   a)  libros b) país c) abril d) María

2. Provide the indefinite article for the following:

   a) ____ sombrero b) ____ mesa c) ____ manzana