In Spanish, adjectives change to agree with the nouns they modify in terms of gender and number. Here’s how each works:
a. Gender
Spanish nouns are either masculine or feminine, and adjectives must agree with the gender of the nouns they describe.
- Masculine Adjectives: Typically, adjectives that modify masculine nouns end in -o (e.g., "alto" for "tall").
- Feminine Adjectives: To modify feminine nouns, the adjective usually changes the -o ending to -a (e.g., "alta" for "tall" when describing a feminine noun).
For example:
- "El chico alto" (The tall boy) - "alto" is masculine.
- "La chica alta" (The tall girl) - "alta" is feminine.
Some adjectives have the same form for both genders or change in other ways. For example, "feliz" (happy) does not change regardless of gender.
b. Number
Spanish adjectives also change to agree with the number of the nouns they modify, which can be singular or plural.
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Singular Adjectives: Adjectives in their base form are singular when they describe a single noun (e.g., "alto" or "alta").
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Plural Adjectives: To make adjectives plural, typically, you add -s to adjectives ending in a vowel and -es to those ending in a consonant.
For example:
- "Los chicos altos" (The tall boys) - "altos" is plural and masculine.
- "Las chicas altas" (The tall girls) - "altas" is plural and feminine.
In summary, Spanish adjectives adjust their endings based on the gender and number of the nouns they describe to ensure grammatical agreement.
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