3.6: Los adjetivos descriptivos y de nacionalidad
- Page ID
- 217048
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Descriptive Adjectives and Adjectives of Nationality
Descriptive Adjectives
- Adjectives are words that describe nouns (people, places, and things).
- Since nouns have gender and number, adjectives also have a gender and number that must agree with the noun they describe.
- The verb "ser" is used with descriptive adjectives.
Rules
(In the rules below, all different ending options are noted in bold.)
- For adjectives ending in -o there are four forms (masculine, feminine, singular, plural). To form the plural, simply add "-s" to the vowel: -o, -os, -a, -as. Examples: alto, altos, alta, altas.
- For adjectives ending in -e or -ista, there are only two forms (singular and plural, as they do not change in gender). To form the plural, simply add "-s" to the vowel: -e, -es, -ista, -istas. Examples: inteligente, inteligentes, idealista, idealistas.
- For adjectives ending in a consonant, there are only two forms (singular and plural, as they do not change in gender). To form the plural, simply add "-es" to the consonant: -l, -les, -n, -nes. Examples: fácil, fáciles, joven, jóvenes.
- For adjectives ending in -or, there are four forms (masculine, feminine, singular, plural). To form the plural, add "-s" if the singular form ends in a vowel; but add "-es" if the singular form ends in a consonant: -or, -ores, -ora, -oras. Examples: trabajador, trabajadores, trabajadora, trabajadoras.
List of common descriptive adjectives
| aburrido/a = boring | difícil = difficult | importante = important | pequeño/a = small |
| activo/a = active | extrovertido/a = extrovert; outgoing | inteligente = intelligent | perezoso/a = lazy |
| alto/a = tall | fácil = easy | interesante = interesting | pesimista = pesimistic |
| amable = kind | feo/a = ugly | introvertido/a = introvert | pobre = poor |
| antipático/a = unpleasant | flaco/a = thin; skinny | joven = young | realista = realistic |
| atractivo/a = attractive | flojo/a = lazy | liberal = liberal | rico/a = rich |
| bajo/a = short | gordo/a = fat | malo/a = bad | rubio/a = blond; blonde |
| bonito/a = pretty | grande = big; large | mismo/a = same | simpático/a = nice |
| bueno/a = good | gran = great | moreno/a = brunette; dark-skinned; tanned | tímido/a = shy; timid |
| calvo/a = bald | guapo/a = good-looking | negro/a* = black | tonto/a = foolish |
| conservador/a = conservative | hermoso/a = beautiful | optimista = optimistic | trabajador/a = hard-working |
| delgado/a = thin; skinny | idealista = idealistic | pelirrojo/a = red-headed | viejo/a = old |
*For native English speakers, the word "negro" is often confusing. While it is the word for the color black in Spanish, it is a racial slur in English. For this reason, in the United States, many Spanish speakers use " afroamericano" and "afroamericana" or "moreno" and "morena" instead. Please note that "afroamericano" and "afroamericana" do not work for other nationalities, as each country has its own nationality. Other cultures do use the prefix "afro" with nationalities and regional identities, but it is currently used more often to describe elements of culture rather than to describe individuals (example: la cultura afroperuana, la música afrocubana, la gastronomía afrocaribeña). When talking about race, it is important that people and communities of color get to determine what is acceptable language; and it is also important to note that what is accepted may differ by individual, culture, and/or moment in time.
Adjectives of Nationality
- These are also descriptive adjectives but they are formed slightly different.
- Adjectives of nationality are not capitalized in Spanish.
- The verb "ser" is used with adjectives of nationality.
Rules
(In the rules below, all different ending options are noted in bold.)
- For adjectives ending in -o there are four forms (masculine, feminine, singular, plural). To form the plural, simply add "-s" to the vowel: -o, -os, -a, -as. Examples: peruano, peruanos, peruana, peruanas.
- For adjectives ending in -e, there are only two forms (singular and plural, as they do not change in gender). To form the plural, simply add "-s" to the vowel: -e, -es. Examples: estadounidense, estadounidenses.
- For adjectives ending in -ú, there are only two forms (singular and plural, as they do not change in gender). To form the plural, keep the written accent, and "-es" to it: -u, -úes. Examples: hindú, hindúes.
- For adjectives ending in a consonant, there are four forms (masculine, feminine, singular and plural). The masculine singular has a written accent on the vowel of the last syllable. The feminine singular is formed by adding an "-a" to it without the written accent. To form the plural, add "-es" to the masculine singular noun and remove the written accent; add "-s" to the feminine singular noun: -és, -eses, -esa, -esas. OR -án, -anes, -ana, -anas. Examples: inglés, ingleses, inglesa, inglesas. OR alemán, alemanes, alemana, alemanas.
List of common adjectives of nationality
| alemán, alemana = German | chino/a = Chinese | español/a = Spaniard | inglés, inglesa = English | peruano/a = Peruvian |
| árabe = Arab | colombiano/a = Colombian | estadounidense = from the U.S. | italiano/a = Italian | portugués, portuguesa = Portuguese |
| argentino/a = Argentine | coreano/a = Korean | filipino/a = Filipino | japonés, japonesa = Japanese | puertorriqueño/a = Puerto Rican |
| boliviano/a = Bolivian | costarricense = Costa Rican | francés, francesa = French | mexicano/a = Mexican | ruso/a = Russian |
| brasileño/a = Brazilian | cubano/a = Cuban | guatelmalteco/a = Guatemalan | nicaragüense = Nicaraguan | salvadoreño/a = Salvadorean |
| canadiense = Canadian | dominicano/a = Dominican | hondureño/a = Honduran | panameño/a = Panamanian | uruguayo/a = Uruguayan |
| chileno/a = Chilean | ecuatoriano/a = Ecuadorian | hindú = Hindu | paraguayo/a = Paraguayan | venezolano/a = Venezuelan |
Placement of the adjectives
In the examples below, all adjectives are noted in bold. Pay attention to the placement in the sentence and their endings.
Unlike English, both descriptive adjectives and adjectives of nationality are normally placed after the noun in Spanish.
Es mi amiga venezolana. Es una chica bonita y simpática.
Exception: Bueno and malo can be placed either before or after the noun. If placed before a masculine noun, they will both need to change to buen and mal.
Un amigo bueno = Un buen amigo Un libro malo = Un mal libro
¡Ojo! The adjective grande always means large or big and is always placed after the noun. When grande is changed to gran, it means "great" (both masculine and feminine), and is always placed before the noun to express "great".
Es un amigo grande con un gran corazón.