You might know the word bueno but how many other Spanish adjectives do you know? Bello, educado, and ruidoso just scratch the surface of the many adjectives you can use to describe nouns—people, places, things, and ideas—and give pizzazz to your writing and speaking.
It’s also important to learn about placement and adjective agreement in Spanish, so you can use adjectives correctly every time. Understanding changeable endings or how quantity affects the placement or spelling of adjectives will help you sound more natural as you learn Spanish.
Table of Contents
The most commonly used adjectives in Spanish and their meanings
To get you going with your adjective vocabulary, here are some charts of adjectives in Spanish grouped by category. Start pairing them with common Spanish words and Spanish nouns!
Physical attributes
You can describe a person, home, objects, or places in so many different ways. Here are some useful adjectives to describe the physical characteristics of people and things in Spanish.
| Spanish | English |
| alto | tall |
| ancho | wide |
| angosto | narrow |
| bajo | short |
| bello | very handsome, very beautiful |
| bien vestido | well-dressed |
| bonito | cute, pretty |
| bruto | rough |
| claro | light (in color) |
| corpulento | heavyset |
| débil | weak |
| delgado | thin |
| elegante | elegant, fancy |
| feo | ugly |
| flaco | skinny |
| fuerte | strong |
| gordo | fat |
| grande | big |
| guapo | attractive, handsome |
| hermoso | handsome, beautiful |
| oscuro | dark (in color) |
| pequeño | small |
| pesado | heavy (in weight) |
Personalities and characteristics
Sometimes we need to describe what a person is like. These Spanish adjectives to describe a person will come in handy when describing friends and family.
| Spanish | English |
| accesible | approachable |
| agradable | pleasant, agreeable |
| alegre | good-natured, cheerful |
| amable | kind |
| ambicioso | ambitious |
| amigable | friendly |
| brusco | rude |
| cariñoso | affectionate |
| complicado | complicated |
| desordenado | messy |
| educado | well-mannered |
| egoísta | selfish |
| estúpido | stupid (stronger than in English, an insult) |
| generoso | generous |
| gruñón | grumpy, mean |
| impaciente | impatient |
| inteligente | intelligent |
| malhumorado | grumpy |
| molesto | annoying |
| optimista | optimistic |
| perezoso | lazy |
| pesimista | pessimistic |
| preparado | educated |
| reservado | reserved |
| responsable | responsible |
| simpático | nice, friendly |
| sincero | sincere |
| tacaño | stingy |
| temeroso | fearful |
| tímido | shy |
| tonto | dumb or silly |
| trabajador | hardworking |
| valiente | courageous |
Nationalities
As with many Romance languages, you can hear similarities of how a nationality is pronounced in English compared to Spanish. Use this chart of nationalities to know how Spanish speakers refer to people from other countries. Remember that they are written with lowercase letters!
| Spanish | English |
| alemán | German |
| argentino | Argentine |
| brasileño | Brazilian |
| canadiense | Canadian |
| chileno | Chilean |
| chino | Chinese |
| colombiano | Colombian |
| coreano | Korean |
| costarricense | Costa Rican |
| dominicano | Dominican |
| ecuatoriano | Ecuadoran |
| español | Spanish |
| francés | French |
| guatemalteco | Guatemalan |
| hondureño | Honduran |
| indio/hindú | (East) Indian |
| inglés | English |
| irlandés | Irish |
| italiano | Italian |
| japonés | Japanese |
| mexicano | Mexican |
| norteamericano/estadounidense | North American/American |
| puertorriqueño | Puerto Rican |
| ruso | Russian |
| saudí/saudita | Saudi Arabian |
Demographic and societal adjectives
This list of adjectives will be useful when talking about someone’s age, wealth, and marital status.
| Spanish | English |
| anciano | elderly |
| casado | married |
| divorciado | divorced |
| mayor | older |
| menor | younger |
| pobre | poor |
| rico | rich |
| soltero | single |
| viudo | widowed |
Emotions or mental states
Expressing how you feel is an essential language skill. Use the adjectives in the chart below with the verb estar to convey your feelings in Spanish.
| Spanish | English |
| ansioso | anxious |
| asustado | scared, frightened |
| confundido | confused |
| deprimido | depressed |
| emocionado | excited |
| enfadado | angry |
| feliz | happy |
| frustrado | frustrated |
| nervioso | nervous |
| orgulloso | proud |
| preocupado | worried |
| sorprendido | surprised |
| triste | sad |
Places and locations
Whether you’re out for a walk or telling someone about a trip you took, being able to describe a place with adjectives in Spanish is a useful skill.
| Spanish | English |
| antiguo | ancient, old |
| atestado | crowded |
| cálido | warm |
| chico | small |
| concurrido | busy, crowded |
| espectacular | spectacular |
| excelente | excellent |
| fantástico | fantastic |
| frío | cold |
| horrible | horrible |
| impresionante | impressive |
| inolvidable | unforgettable |
| interesante | interesting |
| limpio | clean |
| moderno | modern |
| relajante | relaxing |
| ruidoso | noisy |
| sucio | dirty |
| típico | typical |
| tranquilo | quiet |
| vistoso | colorful |
Personal opinions
Use this list of adjectives to give your opinion on books, movies, classes, and more.
| Spanish | English |
| aburrido | boring |
| barato | cheap |
| caro | expensive |
| difícil | difficult |
| divertido | fun |
| fácil | easy |
| interesante | interesting |
Physical state of a person or object
Used with the verb estar, these common Spanish adjectives will enable you to talk about temporary conditions and changes in the physical state of people and objects.
| Spanish | English |
| abierto | open |
| arreglado | fixed |
| cerrado | closed |
| enfermo | sick |
| lleno | full |
| mojado | wet |
| muerto | dead |
| roto | broken |
| sano | healthy |
| seco | dry |
| vacío | empty |
| vivo | alive |
Quantities
From asking for otra bebida (another drink) to requesting un poco azúcar (a little sugar) for your coffee, learning adjectives of quantity in Spanish will help you ask for exactly what you need in everyday situations.
| Spanish | English |
| ambos | both |
| bastante | enough |
| cada | each (does not change for masculine and feminine) |
| mucho | many, much, a lot of |
| otro | other, another |
| poco | little, few |
Food and flavors
Food is life and the flavors of Spanish and Latin American cuisines are worth describing. Use these helpful adjectives to tell your friends how incredible the food was on your last trip.
| Spanish | English |
| afrutado | fruity |
| agrio | sour |
| amargo | bitter |
| aromático | aromatic |
| cocido | cooked |
| cremoso | creamy |
| crudo | raw |
| crujiente | crunchy |
| delicioso | delicious |
| dulce | sweet |
| fresco | fresh |
| fuerte | strong (in flavor) |
| inmaduro | unripe |
| ligero | light (in flavor) |
| maduro | ripe |
| picante | spicy |
| sabroso | flavorful/tasty |
| salado/sabroso | salty/savory |
| soso/sin sabor | bland/tasteless |
| suave | soft |
Time
The following adjectives allow you to express frequency, duration, and other time-related concepts in Spanish.
| Spanish | English |
| actual | current |
| anual | yearly |
| diario | daily |
| eterno | eternal |
| frecuente | frequent |
| futuro | future |
| infrecuente | infrequent |
| lento | slow |
| mensual | monthly |
| pasado | past |
| rápido | fast |
| semanal | weekly |
Shapes and texture
To describe the world around you in Spanish, you’ll need to equip yourself with a variety of adjectives to describe different shapes and textures.
| Spanish | English |
| áspero | rough, coarse |
| blando | soft, pliable |
| cónico | conical |
| cuadrado | square |
| curvo | curved |
| cilíndrico | cylindrical |
| duro/a | hard |
| esférico | spherical |
| esponjoso | spongy |
| granuloso | grainy |
| húmedo | damp, moist |
| irregular | irregular |
| liso | smooth |
| ovalado | oval |
| pegajoso | sticky |
| plano | flat |
| redondo | round |
| resbaladizo | slippery |
| sedoso | silky |
| triangular | triangular |
Clothing
Beyond using colors like azul (blue) and negro (black), there are a variety of useful adjectives you can use to describe clothing in Spanish.
| Spanish | English |
| ajustado | tight-fitting |
| anticuado | old-fashioned |
| casual | casual |
| clásico | classic |
| cómodo | comfortable |
| corto | short |
| de moda | fashionable, trendy |
| desgastado | worn out |
| elegante | elegant |
| formal | formal |
| holgado | loose-fitting |
| incómodo | uncomfortable |
| informal | informal |
| largo | long |
| llamativo | eye-catching |
| sencillo | simple |
Possessive adjectives in Spanish
While they may look different than other adjectives in this guide, Spanish possessive adjectives are a common type of adjective in Spanish. You’ll find them useful when establishing ownership of an object and talking about relationships.
| Subject Pronoun | Masculine/ Feminine Singular |
Masculine/ Feminine Plural |
English Translation |
| yo first person singular |
mi | mis | my |
| tú second person informal singular |
tu | tus | your |
| usted second person formal singular |
su | sus | your |
| él, ella third person singular |
su | sus | his/her/its |
| nosotros first person plural |
nuestro/nuestra | nuestros/nuestras | our |
| vosotros second person plural |
vuestro/vuestra | vuestros/vuestras | your |
| ustedes second person plural |
su | sus | your |
| ellos, ellas third person plural |
su | sus | their |
Demonstrative adjectives in Spanish
When you’re pointing out a specific object, you’ll use Spanish demonstrative adjectives to indicate whether it is “this,” “that,” or “that over there.”
To refer to a noun that’s close to the speaker, you’ll use the demonstrative adjectives below:
| Gender and Number | Spanish Demonstrative Adjective | English Demonstrative Adjective |
| Masculine singular | este | this |
| Feminine singular | esta | this |
| Masculine plural | estos | these |
| Feminine plural | estas | these |
To point out a person or object that is away from the speaker but close to the listener, you’ll use these demonstrative adjectives:
| Gender and Number | Spanish Demonstrative Adjective | English Demonstrative Adjective |
| Masculine singular | ese | that |
| Feminine singular | esa | that |
| Masculine plural | esos | those |
| Feminine plural | esas | those |
To point out a noun that’s farther away from the speaker and listener, use the following demonstrative adjectives:
| Gender and Number | Spanish Demonstrative Adjective | English Demonstrative Adjective |
| Masculine singular | aquel | that |
| Feminine singular | aquella | that |
| Masculine plural | aquellos | those |
| Feminine plural | aquellas | those |
How to use Spanish adjectives correctly
There are two key rules you’ll need to remember as you learn how to use adjectives in Spanish the right way. These rules apply to the vast majority of adjectives you’ll encounter, which is really helpful.
Place adjectives after nouns
Unlike English, most adjectives in Spanish go after the noun. If you are talking about an attractive man, you could 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.
Change adjective endings to match noun gender and number
All nouns in Spanish 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 in Spanish. 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? The masculine noun hombre is modified by guapo, which is an adjective in masculine, singular form. The feminine noun mujeres is modified by guapas, which is an adjective in feminine, plural form.
Most Spanish 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
In most cases, adjectives will usually be listed in a dictionary with only the masculine form or with their feminine variant listed second like this: divertido, da.
Exceptions to Spanish adjective rules
As with all language rules, there are exceptions to using adjectives correctly. Some Spanish adjectives have their own rules regarding placement and agreement.
Adjective agreement exceptions
Spanish adjectives keep you on your toes with their varied endings, because they don’t always end in “o.” Familiarize yourself with the different adjective endings and their agreement rules so you can use them correctly when talking about all sorts of people, places, and objects.
Adjectives that end in -e
Adjectives that end in -e don’t change to match the gender of a noun, only number:
- una situación importante = an important situation
- las mujeres inteligentes = the intelligent women
Adjectives that end in a consonant
Similarly, adjectives that end in a consonant typically do not change based on gender, they only change to be plural.
- la rata gris = the gray rat
- mis amigas leales = my loyal friends
Nationality adjectives, as explained in the next section, are an exception and change for both number and gender.
Nationalities
Adjectives for nationalities are not capitalized in Spanish. For nationalities 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.
Adjectives that end in -or, -ón, -án, and -ín…
For adjectives that end in -or, -ón, -án, or -ín, you’ll add an “a” at the end for feminine nouns and drop the accent in the feminine but keep it in masculine.
- un hombre trabajador = a hard working man
- una mujer trabajadora = a hard working woman
- un hombre gruñón = a grumpy man
- una mujer gruñona = a grumpy woman
Adjective placement exceptions
While Spanish adjectives are typically placed after the nouns they modify, there are situations where they precede the noun, like in English.
Placement of possessive adjectives
Possessive adjectives in Spanish are placed before a noun to indicate ownership and relationship. Similar to other adjectives, they must match in gender and number of the noun they modify, when possible. Some possessive adjectives like mi (my) and tu (your) have gender-neutral forms.
- mis amigos = my friends
- nuestras bufandas = our scarves
Demonstrative adjective placement
Demonstrative adjectives in Spanish are placed before a noun to refer to something at a certain distance from the speaker. They must match the nouns they modify based on gender and number.
- esa botella = that bottle
- estos cuadernos = these notebooks
Using bueno and malo
The Spanish adjectives bueno (good) and malo (bad) can be placed after the noun, but they more commonly precede it for a slightly different emphasis.
- un buen muchacho = a good young man
- un mal hombre = a bad man
Adjectives of quantity
Any adjectives of quantity generally go before the noun.
- Tengo mucho dinero. = I have a lot of money.
- Es otro problema. = It is another problem.
Adjectives with definite articles
In some cases, adjectives replace nouns when paired with the definite articles el, la, lo, los, and las and the neutral definite article lo.
- 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)
- lo importante = the important thing
Key takeaways about Spanish adjectives
Using adjectives can open up a whole new world of conversations about your travels, friends, hometown, and so much more. Just remember these key things about using and placing Spanish adjectives correctly.
- In most cases, adjectives in Spanish should be placed after the noun.
- You’ll need to change adjectives to match the gender and number of the noun you’re referring to.
- Adjectives that end in -or, -ón, -án, or -ín have special rules for feminine nouns, so remember to add an “a” at the end of the word and drop the accent mark.
- Possessive and demonstrative adjectives are placed before the noun they modify, which is different from most Spanish adjectives.
Rowena Galavitz contributed to this article.
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