SpanishLesson 2 of 2 in the course Spanish nouns and pronouns

Spanish Adjective Agreement, Placement, Comparison, and Intensification

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

An adjective must generally agree with the noun it modifies in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural). A useful starting point is to check the adjective’s dictionary form, or lemma.

The same pattern appears in pequeño (small): pequeño, pequeña, pequeños, pequeñas; and rojo (red): rojo, roja, rojos, rojas.

These are general patterns, not rules without exceptions. Español, for example, has four forms: español, española, españoles, españolas. Some adjectives, including the borrowed adjective beige (also written beis), do not change form.

All flashcards

What is a Spanish adjective’s lemma?
Its base or dictionary form, such as frío before it changes to match a noun.
What is the usual four-form pattern for an adjective ending in -o?
It commonly has masculine singular -o, feminine singular -a, masculine plural -os, and feminine plural -as.
How do many adjectives that do not end in -o behave?
They usually use the same form for masculine and feminine and change only for number, often adding -s after a vowel or -es after a consonant.
What does postpositive mean?
An adjective is postpositive when it generally comes after the noun it modifies, as in el libro largo.
What is apocope?
Apocope is the loss of a final sound or syllable from certain adjectives in particular grammatical environments, as in primero becoming primer in an appropriate context.

Quiz questions

  1. What two features does a Spanish adjective generally agree with in the noun it modifies?Answer: Gender and number
  2. What are the four common forms of frío?Answer: frío, fría, fríos, frías
  3. How does formal typically change when it modifies a plural noun?Answer: It adds -es, becoming formales.
  4. In the phrase la casa grande, where does the adjective generally appear?Answer: After the noun
  5. Which word normally introduces the object of comparison in a Spanish comparative?Answer: que

Based on the Wikipedia article Spanish adjectives, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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