Agreement, form and position of adjectives Flashcards
Spanish Adjectives Agree in…..
Adjectives agree in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) with the noun or pronoun they modify.
Ending in -o rule
Adjectives whose masculine form ends in -o have a feminine form ending in -a.
Ending in consonant, -e rule
Adjectives that end in -e and most adjectives that end in a consonant have the same masculine and feminine forms.
Plurals rule
Generally, adjectives follow the same rules as nouns to form the plural.
Nationally rule
Adjectives of nationality that end in a consonant add -a to form the feminine. If the adjective ends in -e or -a, the singular has only one form. Adjectives of nationality are not capitalized in Spanish.
Position, general rule
Limiting adjectives (numerals, unstressed possessives, indefinitess, demonstratives, interrogatives) ussually precede the noun or pronoun they modify, and descriptive or differentiating adjectives (size, color shape, nationality, etc.) are generally placed after the noun.
Position, two or more adjectives rule
When two adjectives modify a noun, they are placed according to the rest of the rules; when descriptive adjectives follow the noun, they are connected by ‘y’
Position, known quality rule
When descriptive adjectives precede the noun they modify, they usually describe a known or established quality.
Spelling Changes Rule
Some adjectives change spelling before the noun. Bueno, malo, primero, tercero, uno, alguno, and ninguno drop the final -o before a masculine singular noun. Cualquiera shortens to cualquier before any singular noun. Algún and ningún require a written accent.
Grande Rule
Grande becomes gran before a masculine or a feminine singular noun. The meaning changes to great.
Ciento Rule
Ciento become cien before a noun, in counting , and before the adjective mil. However, it remains ciento when it preceds numerals smaller than one hundred.
Santo Rule
Santo becomes san before the name of all masculine saints except those beginning in Do- or To-.
