Are you familiar with the word bueno? What about buenos, buena, and buenas?
Many beginner Spanish speakers are familiar with those adjectives—each of them means “good”—but may not know the difference between them. In this post, we’ll take a deeper look at Spanish adjectives to help you better describe nouns—people, places, things, and ideas—and give pizzazz to your writing and speaking.
Below, check out our list of over 100 adjectives that can help you spice up your communication. Plus, you’ll also learn about placement and adjective agreement in Spanish, so you can use adjectives correctly every time.
With Rosetta Stone, you can master Spanish adjectives and more with an immersive method that helps you learn in a natural way without heavy memorization. Check it out here!
The most commonly used Spanish adjectives
Here are some lists of frequently used adjectives in Spanish grouped by category, with their English meaning. You’ll find out the details of how to use these adjectives at the end of these lists. Be sure to look at our Basic Spanish Words and Phrases for Every Conversation, so you can start having real conversations now!
Spanish adjectives to describe a person (physical attributes)
| Spanish | English |
| bonito | cute, pretty |
| hermoso | handsome, beautiful |
| guapo | attractive, handsome |
| bello | very handsome, very beautiful |
| feo | ugly |
| alto | tall |
| bajo | short |
| delgado | thin |
| flaco | skinny |
| corpulento | heavyset |
| gordo | fat |
| elegante | elegant, fancy |
| bien vestido | well-dressed |
| fuerte | strong |
| débil | weak |
Spanish adjectives to describe a person (non-physical attributes)
| Spanish | English |
| inteligente | intelligent |
| lindo | nice |
| tonto | dumb or silly |
| estúpido | stupid (stronger than in English, an insult) |
| educado | well-mannered |
| preparado | educated |
| alegre | good-natured, cheerful (with ser) |
| feliz | happy |
| simpático | nice, friendly |
| agradable | pleasant, agreeable |
| triste | sad |
| malhumorado | grumpy |
| reservado | reserved |
| tímido | shy |
| accesible | approachable |
| complicado | complicated |
| amigable | friendly |
| gruñón | grumpy, mean |
| joven | young |
| mayor | elderly |
| viejo | old |
| tacaño | stingy |
| sincero | sincere |
| rico | rich |
| pobre | poor |
| interesante | interesting |
| aburrido | boring |
| divertido | fun, funny |
| flojo/perezoso | lazy |
| responsable | responsible |
| trabajador | hardworking |
Spanish adjectives to describe objects and places
| Spanish | English |
| bonito | pretty, lovely, cute |
| hermoso | beautiful |
| lindo | pretty, cute, lovely, agreeable |
| feo | ugly |
| bello | lovely, beautiful |
| grande | large |
| largo | long |
| pequeño | small |
| chico | small |
| caro | expensive |
| barato | cheap |
| horrible | horrible |
| maravilloso | marvelous |
| impresionante | impressive |
| espectacular | spectacular |
| fantástico | fantastic |
| excelente | excellent |
| fácil | easy |
| difícil | difficult |
| típico | typical |
Colors in Spanish
| Spanish | English |
| rojo | red |
| amarillo | yellow |
| azul | blue |
| anaranjado | orange |
| verde | green |
| morado | purple |
| rosa | pink |
| café, marrón | brown |
| moreno | brown-skinned |
| negro | black |
| blanco | white |
| gris | gray |
Nationalities in Spanish
| Spanish | English |
| norteamericano/estadounidense | North American/American |
| canadiense | Canadian |
| inglés | English |
| irlandés | Irish |
| chino | Chinese |
| alemán | German |
| francés | French |
| italiano | Italian |
| ruso | Russian |
| coreano | Korean |
| japonés | Japanese |
| saudí, saudita | Saudi Arabian |
| indio/hindú | (East) Indian |
| mexicano | Mexican |
| español | Spanish |
| argentino | Argentine |
| chileno | Chilean |
| costarricense | Costa Rican |
| puertorriqueño | Puerto Rican |
| colombiano | Colombian |
| guatemalteco | Guatemalan |
| dominicano | Dominican |
| brasileño | Brazilian |
| ecuatoriano | Ecuadoran |
| hondureño | Honduran |
Adjectives of goodness
| Spanish | English |
| bueno | good |
| malo | bad |
Adjectives of quantity
| Spanish | English |
| mucho | many, much, a lot of |
| poco | little, few |
| otro | other, another |
| cada | each (does not change for masculine and feminine) |
| ambos | both |
| bastante | enough |
General rules: How to use Spanish adjectives correctly
Using adjectives for the first time in conversation or writing? There are two key rules you’ll need to remember to use them the right way. These rules apply to the vast majority of adjectives you’ll encounter! Let’s dive in so you can start using them in no time.
1. Place adjectives before nouns
Unlike English, most adjectives in Spanish go after the noun. If we are talking about an attractive man, we’d say:
- un hombre guapo = a handsome man
There are a few exceptions to this rule, but for now just remember to place the adjective after the thing you’re describing.
2. Change the ending to match noun gender and number
In Spanish, all nouns are gendered (masculine/feminine), which means the parts of speech that modify them—both adjectives and articles—are often altered to agree with that gender. Adjectives and articles must also agree in number (singular/plural).
Let’s take a look at the examples below:
- un hombre guapo = a handsome man
- unas mujeres guapas = pretty women
See how everything matches? Hombre, which is a masculine noun, is modified by guapo, an adjective in masculine, singular form. Mujeres, which is a feminine noun, is modified by guapas, an adjective in feminine, plural form.
Most adjectives will end in o for their masculine form and a for their feminine form:
- un gato divertido = a fun male cat
- una gata divertida = a fun female cat
Note: Adjectives will usually be listed in a dictionary with only the masculine form or with their feminine variant listed second (divertido, da).
Understanding the exceptions: How to use Spanish adjectives correctly
As with all language rules, there are exceptions. We’ll break them down by adjective type.
Using nationalities as adjectives
Adjectives for nationalities are not capitalized in Spanish. For those ending in a consonant, you add the a for the feminine form:
- un niño japonés = a Japanese boy
- una niña japonesa = a Japanese girl
Notice that in the feminine form it has no accent.
Using adjectives that end in -or, -ón, -án, and -ín…
For adjectives that end in -or, -ón, -án, or -ín, also add an a and drop the accent if the masculine form has one:
- un hombre trabajador = a hardworking man
- una mujer trabajadora = a Japanese girl
- un hombre gruñón = a grumpy man
- una mujer gruñona = a grumpy woman
Using adjectives with unchangeable endings
Some adjectives have endings that don’t change. These are the ones that do not end in o or a, and they are the same for masculine or feminine singular nouns:
- un hombre inteligente = an intelligent man
- una mujer inteligente = an intelligent woman
Using bueno and malo
There are two commonly used masculine adjectives—bueno and malo—that drop the o when they’re before a masculine singular noun, for example:
- un buen muchacho = a good young man
- un mal hombre = a bad man
These adjectives can also follow the noun, as in es un muchacho bueno (he is a good young man). Be warned, though, that it’s not common to say it this way, and it’s far less impactful.
Using adjectives of quantity
The adjectives of quantity generally go before the noun.
- Tengo mucho dinero. = I have a lot of money.
- Es otro problema. = It is another problem.
Using adjectives with the verb ser
As in English, adjectives can follow the verb “to be”—ser. However, they must agree in number and gender:
- María es interesante. = Maria is interesting.
- Javier y Edgar son interesantes. = Javier and Edgar are interesting.
Using adjectives with definitive articles
In some cases, adjectives can function as nouns when paired with a definitive article, which include el, la, lo, los, and las.
- la bella = the beautiful one; the beautiful woman
- el flaco = the skinny one; the skinny man
- la roja = the red one (feminine noun)
- el verde = the green one (masculine noun)
Mastering Spanish adjectives and beyond with Rosetta Stone
To recap, adjectives in Spanish usually come before the word they modify, and they must match the noun they’re describing in gender and number. But Rosetta Stone can do a lot more than provide you with lists! It can help you learn and use adjectives in context like a native. Try Rosetta Stone Stories for practice and learn how to pronounce adjectives correctly with TruAccent, where you’ll get instant feedback on your pronunciation. Start your language adventure now!
Written by Rowena Galavitz
Rowena Galavitz is a Spanish translator, bilingual copy editor, and language and literature instructor with three master’s degrees who loves Spanish and all things Mexico.
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