29 most common Spanish adjectives

Learning the most common adjectives in Spanish is key to getting you writing and talking in Spanish fast. 

Descriptive adjectives are like the clothing of our sentences. Without them, statements feel naked and incomplete. They allow us to describe exactly what we mean and want. 

In Spanish, adjectives are just as important as they are in English. Here we have compiled a list of adjectives (descriptive words) with examples to get you started.

1. How to describe physical appearance
2. How to describe feelings
3. How to describe character traits
4. How to describe the weather and food
5. Adjectives that shift meaning based on placement
6. Adjectives that don’t change with gender

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1. How to describe physical appearance

This Spanish adjectives list is essential to give a description of a place, person, or object. Common Spanish adjectives are handy if you’re traveling in a Spanish-speaking country and are trying to ask for directions using basic words and phrases.

• Grande – big
  La ciudad es muy grande. (The city is very big.)
• Pequeño(a) – little
  ¡Qué perro tan pequeño! (What a little dog!)
• Bonito(a) – pretty
  Estas casas son bonitas. (These houses are pretty.)
• Feo(a) – ugly
  Este vestido sí que es feo. (This dress is for sure ugly.)
• Chaparro(a) – short in height (used for people)
  Marina es chaparra. (Marina is short.)
• Corto(a) – short in length (used for objects like clothes or movies)
  Esa serie es muy corta. (That TV show is very short.)
• Alto(a) – tall (used for objects and people)
  Los edificios son altos, así como tú. (The buildings are tall, just like you.)

2. How to describe feelings

Some of the most basic Spanish adjectives have to do with describing how we feel. Here are common Spanish adjectives you can try using today.

• Triste – sad
  Me siento triste cuando no estás (I feel sad when you’re not around.)
• Feliz – happy
  Esta canción siempre me hace sentir feliz (This song always makes me happy.)
• Aburrido(a) – bored
  Estoy muy aburrida con tu historia (Your story is making me bored.)
• Enojado(a) – angry
  Nunca estoy enojada (I’m never angry.)
• Nervioso(a) – nervous
  La entrevista me está poniendo nerviosa. (The interview is making me nervous.)

3. How to describe character traits

These are some of the most important and common Spanish adjectives. They help us describe the people we know. Such an adjective can also describe what we dislike or like about a person, experience, or object.

• Divertido(a) – fun
  María es muy divertida (María is very fun.)
• Inteligente – smart
  Ella es también muy inteligente (She’s also very smart.)
• Fácil – easy
  El examen estuvo fácil (The test was easy.)
• Rápido(a) – fast
  Vas muy rápido (You’re going too fast.)
• Lento(a) – slow
  Qué tren tan lento (What a slow train.)
• Bueno(a) – good
  Es una buena película (It is a good movie.)
• Malo(a) – bad
  No seas mala (Don’t be so bad/mean.)

4. How to describe the weather and food

These common Spanish adjectives for daily chit chat deserve their own section. Just like in other languages, the most used Spanish adjectives are related to the weather and food.

Why? Because we’re sure you don’t just want a taco. You want a delicious taco on a sunny day, right?

• Caliente – hot to the touch (for food)
  La sopa está demasiado caliente (The soup is too hot.)
• Caluroso(a) – warm (for the weather)
  Qué día tan caluroso (What a warm day!)
• Frío(a) – cold (weather and food)
  Si el día no estuviera tan frío, me gustaría una fría limonada  (If the day wasn’t so cold, I would want a cold lemonade.)
• Delicioso(a) – delicious (weather and food)
  El clima está delicioso… perfecto para un delicioso helado (The weather is delicious… perfect for a delicious ice cream.)
• Soleado – sunny
  Me gustan los días soleados (I like sunny days.)

5. Adjectives that shift meaning based on placement

In Spanish, there exist a select few adjectives that exhibit a fascinating phenomenon: their meaning transforms depending on their placement relative to the noun they modify.

While most adjectives maintain consistent meanings regardless of their position in the sentence. Below, we explore some examples of such phrases:

Adjective: Antiguo

• Meaning before: Former, Ex-
• Meaning after: Old, Ancient
  • Before: Mi antiguo colega ahora trabaja en otra empresa. (My former colleague now works in another company.)
  • After: El edificio antiguo es un tesoro histórico de la ciudad. (The ancient building is a historical treasure of the city.)

Adjective: Pobre

• Meaning before: Poor (as in unfortunate)
• Meaning after: Poor (as in no money)
  • Before: La pobre mujer perdió todo en el incendio. (The unfortunate woman lost everything in the fire.)
  • After: Esa familia vive en una casa muy pobre. (That family lives in a very poor house.)

Adjective: Gran/Grande

• Meaning before: Great
• Meaning after: Big, Large
  • Before: Tengo un gran respeto por su trabajo. (I have great respect for his work.)
  • After: Necesitamos una casa grande para nuestra familia. (We need a big house for our family.)

Adjective: Viejo

• Meaning before: Old (as in long-standing)
• Meaning after: Old (as in age)
  • Before: Visité un viejo castillo en las montañas. (I visited an old castle in the mountains.)
  • After: Mi abuela tiene un gato viejo. (My grandmother has an old cat.)

Adjective: Único

• Meaning before: Only
• Meaning after: Unique
  • Before: Este es el único libro que necesitas. (This is the only book you need.)
  • After: Su estilo de pintura es único en el mundo del arte. (His painting style is unique in the art world.)

6. Adjectives that don’t change with gender

Most adjectives in the Spanish language change form to match the gender and number of the noun they modify, a phenomenon defined as gender agreement.

Yet, there are exceptions to this rule. Some singular Spanish adjectives remain invariable, meaning they stay the same regardless of whether the noun they describe is masculine or feminine. They do have a different plural form though.

Adjectives ending in -ista: idealista (idealistic), materialista (materialistic), realista (realistic)

Adjectives ending in -e: grande (big), caliente (hot), interesante (interesting), inteligente (intelligent)

Adjectives ending in -or (comparatives): mejor (better), menor (less), peor (worse)

Adjectives ending in a consonant: gris (gray), azul (blue), marrón (brown), fácil (easy), feliz (happy)

It’s important to note that while these adjectives remain unchanged with gender, they do vary with number. Therefore, remember to use their plural forms (for example: realistas, grandes, mejores, etc.) when referring to plural nouns.

Tips to learn the most used Spanish adjectives

Now that you know some of the basics, here are some tips for you to learn the most frequently used adjectives everyday language fast:

• Use technology: Use your phone applications to translate any adjectives that may come to mind. Watch YouTube videos to learn adjectives.
• Take notes: Physically write or type out the new adjectives you learn. Make sentences with them. Repeat them out loud.
• Categorize:  Group words together and focus on the ones you would use the most in real life.
• Remember gender-number-subject agreement: Common adjectives in Spanish take on the gender and number of the noun. Most of the time, female adjectives end with an ‘a’ (la bicicleta rapida). Male adjectives with an ‘o’ (el carro lento). ‘E’ is neutral (palabra clave, anuncio clave). Plural nouns come with adjectives ending in ‘s’ (las bicicletas rojas).

Build your Spanish vocabulary with these common adjectives

Whether looking forward to a holiday in Mexico or trying to impress your Spanish-speaking friends, learning common Spanish adjectives is a cornerstone of the language.

Now that you have some tips and lists of basic Spanish adjectives, it’s time to get a move on rápido.

FAQs

In this section, we explore some of the questions people ask about the most commonly used adjectives in the Spanish language

What are regular adjectives in Spanish?

Regular adjectives in Spanish are those that follow the typical rules for forming their feminine and plural forms, usually by adding -a or -as for feminine singular and plural, and -o or -os for masculine singular and plural.

What are the 4 form adjectives in Spanish?

The four form adjectives in Spanish refer to those adjectives that change their form based on gender and number, typically by adding different endings to match the noun they modify. So, we have four forms: masculine singular, feminine singular, masculine plural and feminine plural.

What are the 10 possessive adjectives in Spanish?

The 10 possessive adjectives in Spanish are: mi, tu, su, nuestro/a, vuestro/a, their respective plural forms mis, tus, sus, nuestros/as, vuestros/as.

How do you tell if a Spanish word is a adjective?

You can tell if a Spanish word is an adjective by observing its placement in a sentence, its agreement with the noun it describes in terms of gender and number and its ability to modify a noun by providing additional information about it.

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Summing up: 29 most common Spanish adjectives

Mastering Spanish adjectives is an essential milestone for beginners embarking on their language journey.

With a solid understanding of the rules and categories, learners are equipped to navigate the linguistic landscape with confidence. Whether describing a handsome stranger or delving into the nuances of possessive adjectives, grasping these concepts puts learners in the right place to excel.

Through consistent practice and engaging in conversation, aspiring Spanish speakers can deepen their comprehension and truly learn Spanish in its vibrant entirety.

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