GRAMMAR

Adjectives: Gender & Number

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​TRANSCRIPTION

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Quick Summary

The form of the adjective (the ending) matches the noun in gender and number.

Feminine Form
1. Adjectives that end in –o in the masculine form normally end in –a in the feminine form.

• Esa chica es simpática. Su amigo es muy simpático también. (That girl is nice. Her friend (masc.) is nice, too.)

2. *Mayor/ menor (bigger/ smaller), mejor/ peor (better/ worse), & superior/ inferior are invariable in gender (they don’t change form).

• Este robot tiene inteligencia superior, pero los humanos somos superiores en creatividad. (This robot has superior intelligence, but humans are superior in creativity.)

3. Many nationalities end in –a in the feminine form.

• No puedo hablar español, pero me encanta la comida española. (I can't speak Spanish, but I love Spanish food.)

Plural Form
If the noun is plural, the adjective must be as well. To make adjectives plural:

1. If it ends in a vowel, add an –s

• El perro es malo. --> Los perros son malos. (The dog is bad. --> The dogs are bad.)

2. If it ends in a consonant, add –es

• La chica joven --> Las chicas jóvenes (The young girl --> The young girls)

3. If it ends in a –z, the –z changes to –c​

• La persona feliz --> Las personas felices (The happy person --> The happy people)

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