Now it's time to describe what people look like! In this lesson, you'll learn adjectives for physical appearance — tall, short, big, small, and more. You'll also discover one of the most important grammar rules in Spanish: adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe. This is where Spanish starts to feel really different from English!
Learning tips
- In Spanish, adjectives come AFTER the noun: 'el hermano alto' (the tall brother), not 'the tall brother.' This is the opposite of English word order.
- Adjectives ending in -o change to -a for feminine: alto → alta, bonito → bonita. Adjectives ending in -e or a consonant don't change for gender: grande stays grande.
- To describe hair and eyes, use 'tener': 'Tiene el pelo largo' (She has long hair), 'Tiene los ojos grandes' (He has big eyes).
- Be careful with 'gordo' — it can be offensive. Colombians often soften it to 'gordito/a' (chubby) as a term of endearment.
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| el año | the year |
| ¿cuántos? | how many? |
| joven | young |
| viejo | old |
| mayor | older |
| menor | younger |
| veintiuno | twenty-one |
| treinta | thirty |
| cuarenta | forty |
| cincuenta | fifty |
Dialog
Andrés and Valentina describe their mothers' physical appearances. Notice how adjectives change to match the noun's gender: 'alto/alta' (tall m/f), 'bonito/bonita' (pretty m/f). For hair and eyes, Spanish uses 'tener': 'Tiene el pelo largo' (She has long hair). Also notice that adjectives come after the noun: 'el pelo largo,' not 'el largo pelo.'
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| alto | /ˈal.to/ | tall | Feminine: alta |
| bajo | /ˈba.xo/ | short (height) | Feminine: baja |
| grande | /ˈɡɾan.de/ | big, large | Same for masculine and feminine |
| pequeño | /pe.ˈke.ɲo/ | small, little | Feminine: pequeña |
| bonito | /bo.ˈni.to/ | pretty, beautiful | Feminine: bonita |
| guapo | /ˈɡwa.po/ | handsome, good-looking | Feminine: guapa |
| delgado | /del.ˈɡa.ðo/ | thin, slim | Feminine: delgada |
| gordo | /ˈɡoɾ.ðo/ | fat | Can be offensive — 'gordito/a' is softer |
| el pelo | /ˈpe.lo/ | the hair | Always singular in Spanish: el pelo, not 'los pelos' |
| los ojos | /ˈo.xos/ | the eyes | Singular: el ojo |
Passive words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| rubio | /ˈru.βjo/ | blonde, fair-haired | Feminine: rubia |
| moreno | /mo.ˈɾe.no/ | dark-haired, brunette | Feminine: morena — also means dark-skinned |
| castaño | /kas.ˈta.ɲo/ | brown (hair), chestnut | Feminine: castaña |
| largo | /ˈlaɾ.ɡo/ | long | Feminine: larga |
| corto | /ˈkoɾ.to/ | short (length) | Feminine: corta |
| fuerte | /ˈfweɾ.te/ | strong | Same for masculine and feminine |
Useful chunks
| Word | Translation |
|---|---|
| tiene el pelo … | he/she has … hair |
| tiene los ojos … | he/she has … eyes |
Grammar: Noun-adjective agreement in gender and number — adjective placement after the noun
| Masculine singular | Feminine singular | Masculine plural | Feminine plural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| tall | alto | alta | altos | altas |
| short | bajo | baja | bajos | bajas |
| pretty | bonito | bonita | bonitos | bonitas |
| thin | delgado | delgada | delgados | delgadas |
Adjectives ending in -e or consonant do NOT change for gender:
| | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| big | grande | grandes |
| strong | fuerte | fuertes |
Word order: noun + adjective → el hermano alto, la hermana alta, los ojos grandes
In Spanish, adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in both gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural).
Adjectives ending in -o:
- Masculine singular: alto, bonito, delgado
- Feminine singular: alta, bonita, delgada (change -o → -a)
- Masculine plural: altos, bonitos, delgados (add -s)
- Feminine plural: altas, bonitas, delgadas (add -s)
Adjectives ending in -e or consonant do NOT change for gender:
- grande → grande (both genders), grandes (plural)
- fuerte → fuerte (both genders), fuertes (plural)
Word order: In Spanish, adjectives usually come after the noun:
- el hermano alto (the tall brother)
- la hermana alta (the tall sister)
- los ojos grandes (the big eyes)
This is the opposite of English, where adjectives come before the noun.
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the correct form of the adjective.
- Mi mamá es y delgada. (tall, feminine)(feminine form of 'alto')
- Él tiene los grandes. (eyes)(word for 'eyes')
- Mi hermana es muy . (pretty, feminine)(feminine form of 'bonito')
- Mi papá tiene el corto. (hair)(word for 'hair')
- Ella es y guapa. (thin, feminine)(feminine form of 'delgado')
Grammar Application
Make the adjective agree with the noun in gender and number.
- hermano + alto → el hermano (masculine singular — no change needed)
- hermana + alto → la hermana (feminine singular — change -o to -a)
- hermanos + bajo → los hermanos (masculine plural — add -s to -o form)
- hermana + delgado → la hermana (feminine singular — change -o to -a)
- ojos + grande → los ojos (plural of -e adjective — just add -s)
Translation (English → Spanish)
Translate each sentence. Remember: adjective comes after the noun and must agree in gender.
- My mom is tall and pretty.
- He has big eyes.
- My sister is thin and short.
- My dad is handsome and big.
- She has long, pretty hair.
Creative Construction
Describe 2-3 family members' physical appearance. Use adjectives that agree in gender and number.
Takeaway
Spanish adjectives must agree with the noun in gender and number. Adjectives ending in -o change to -a for feminine (alto → alta). Adjectives come AFTER the noun: 'el hermano alto.' Use 'tener' to describe hair and eyes: 'Tiene el pelo largo.'