ADJECTIVES
7.
The adjective,
grande
takes on
a short form
(gran)
only before
feminine nouns.
the large house
la casa grande or la gran casa
8.
Gran
may also bring a meaning
change.
a great man
un gran hombre
9
. Adjectives ending in -
dor
are
made feminine by adding an –
a.
the enchanting girl
la niña encantadora
el niño encantador
10.
To make an adjective plural
add an -
s
after a vowel and
an
-
es
after a consonant.
BOX 41
1. Adjectives modify nouns.
(a) Masculine nouns usually end
in –
o
.
(b) Feminine nouns usually end in –
a
. (c)
Nouns ending in other letters
are usually masculine.
2.
In English the adjective comes
before the noun it modifies. In Spanish
it comes after.
the black blouse - la blusa negra
3.
An adjective agrees in number
(singular or plural) and in gender
(masculine or feminine) with the
noun it modifies.
the black blouse - la blusa negra (f)
the black dress - el vestido negro (m)
the black dresses - los vestidos negros
4.
Adjectives ending in –
e
, stay the
same whether modifying something
masculine or feminine.
the intelligent boy - el niño inteligente (m)
the intelligent girl - la niña inteligente (f)
5.
Adjectives ending in consonants
(l, r, n, z)
do not change.
the faithful boy - el niño fiel
the faithful girl - la niña fiel
the familiar boy - el niño familiar
the familiar girl - la niña familiar
6.
Some adjectives can occur before
the noun. In this case the
masculine form is shortened.
a good dog
un perro bueno
or
un buen perro
a bad dog
un perro malo
or
un mal perro
the first child
el niño primero
or
el primer niño
the third child
el niño tercero
or
el tercer niño
ADJECTIVES
1
. Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives,
or other adverbs.
2
. Adverbs usually follow the verb
they modify.
She drives quickly.
Ella maneja rápidamente.
3
. Adverbs precede the adjective
they modify.
The dog is very fat.
El perro es muy gordo.
ADVERBS
247
the faithful boys - los niños fieles (m)
the faithful girls - las niñas fieles (f)
the happy boys - los niños contentos (m)
the happy girls - las niñas contentas (f)
11.
In Spanish, if you are describing
a general profession, a religion,
or a nationality, an indefinite
article
(a, an – un, una)
is not used.
However if you modify the noun
you do use an article.
He is a doctor. Él es doctor.
He a famous doctor. Él es un doctor famoso.
Grammar
Gramática
Contents
Print Book 
