Describing People and Things Flashcards
1
Q
Adjectives in Spanish
A
An adjective in Spanish must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. You have seen examples of this with nationalities (alemán, alemana) and with possessive adjectives (nuestro, nuestros).
2
Q
Descriptive Adjectives
A
Most descriptive adjectives in Spanish end in -o and have four forms: -o, -a, -os, -as. Notice how the endings of the adjectives often echo the endings of the nouns.
3
Q
short (person)
A
bajo
4
Q
tall
A
alto
5
Q
the tall boy
A
el chico alto
6
Q
the tall girl
A
la chica alta
7
Q
the tall boys
A
los chicos altos
8
Q
the tall girls
A
las chicas altas
9
Q
cheap
A
barato
10
Q
a cheap (inexpensive) book
A
un libro barato
11
Q
some cheap (inexpensive) books
A
unos libros baratos
12
Q
old, ‹city/civilization›
A
antiguo
13
Q
old (not young - less polite), (not new) ‹clothes/car/custom›
A
viejo
14
Q
an old house
A
una casa antigua
15
Q
some old houses
A
unas casas antiguas
16
Q
yellow
A
amarillo
17
Q
attractive
A
atractivo
18
Q
white
A
blanco
19
Q
pretty
A
bonito, lindo
20
Q
good
A
bueno
21
Q
expensive
A
caro
22
Q
comfortable
A
cómodo
23
Q
short (of length, height, distance)
A
corto
24
Q
thin
A
delgado
25
delicious
delicioso
26
fun
divertido
27
fat
gordo
28
beautiful
hermoso
29
long
largo
30
clean
limpio
31
crazy
loco
32
bad
malo
33
modern
moderno
34
black
negro
35
new
nuevo
36
small
pequeño, chico
37
rich (delicious, wealthy, lush)
rico
38
red
rojo
39
blond
rubio
40
nice
simpatico
41
sick, ill
enfermo
42
ugly
feo
43
cold
frío
44
dirty
sucio
45
shy
tímido
46
Adjectives ending in –e and –a.
Some adjectives are an exception to the rule in that they don't change when they modify a masculine or feminine noun. These adjectives ending in -e or -a have only two forms: singular and plural. To make the plural, simply add an -s.
47
the elegant woman
la mujer elegante
48
the elegant women (pl)
las mujeres elegantes
49
the idealistic child (m.)
el niño idealista
50
the idealistic children
los niños idealistas
51
happy
alegre
52
friendly
amable
53
efficient
eficiente
54
elegant
elegante
55
enormous, huge
enorme
56
strong
fuerte
57
big
grande
58
humble
humilde
59
intelligent
inteligente
60
patient
paciente
61
poor
pobre
62
sad
triste
63
green
verde
64
selfish
egoísta
65
idealistic
idealista
66
hypocritical
hipócrita
67
materialistic
materialista
68
orange (fruit/color),
orangish,
orange tree
naranja,
anaranjado-a,
naranjo
69
pink
rosa
70
optimistic
optimista
71
pessimistic
pesimista
72
realistic
realista
73
violet (color)
violeta
74
Adjectives ending in a consonant
Most adjectives ending in a consonant also have only two forms, singular and plural. They do not change for masculine and feminine. To make these adjectives plural, simply add -es, unless the adjective ends in a -z, in which case the -z becomes a -c-. Note that adjectives of nationality, whether they end in a consonant or vowel, actually have four forms (m, f, m pl, f pl). A few adjectives that end in a consonant actually take on masculine and feminine forms as well as singular and plural.
75
The test is easy.
El examen es fácil.
76
The tests are easy.
Los exámenes son fáciles.
77
The student (f) is happy.
La alumna es feliz.
78
The students (f) are happy.
Las alumnas son felices.
79
blue
azul
80
difficult
difícil
81
easy
fácil
82
happy
feliz
83
gray
gris
84
young
joven
85
normal
normal
86
popular
popular
87
charming
encantador
88
talkative
hablador
89
hardworking
trabajador
90
Mrs. Guzmán is charming.
La señora Guzmán es encantadora.
91
My husband is very talkative.
Mi esposo es muy hablador.
92
The waitresses are very hardworking.
Las camareras son muy trabajadoras.
93
Adjective Placement
Adjective usually comes after the noun. This is the opposite of English syntax. Adjectives can also follow the verbs ser and estar, but they still must agree (in masculine, feminine, singular, and plural) with the nouns they are modifying. Sometimes adjectives can precede the noun. In Spanish the rules are not hard and fast, so it's best to let your ear and eye get used to these constructions.
Adjectives of quantity, such as poco (little, few) and mucho (much, many, a lot) generally come before the noun. Sometimes the placement of adjectives before or after the noun implies subtle differences in meaning. The adjective grande (big) not only changes meaning according to its placement, but is shortened when used before a singular noun. A few adjectives can either follow or precede the noun. When they precede a masculine singular noun, the adjective is shortened, but the meaning stays the same.
94
She's a pretty girl.
Es una niña linda.
95
The apples are delicious.
Las manzanas están deliciosas.
96
Your friend is crazy.
Tu amigo está loco.
97
little work
poco trabajo
98
a lot of friendship (friends)
mucha(s) amistad (amistades)
99
few friends
pocos amigos
100
many women
muchas mujeres
101
an old friend (a friend who is old in years)
un amigo viejo
102
an old friend (a friend you have known for a long time)
un viejo amigo
103
the poor boy (a boy with very little money)
el chico pobre
104
the poor boy (a boy to be pitied, one feels sorry for him)
el pobre chico
105
a big (tall) man
un hombre grande
106
a great man (by deeds or reputation)
un gran hombre
107
a big (tall) woman
una mujer grande
108
a great woman
una gran mujer
109
a good boy
un niño bueno, un buen niño
110
a bad kid
un chico malo, un mal chico
111
Ordinal numbers
Ordinal numbers (first, second, third, etc.) usually precede the noun they modify. Notice how primero (first) and tercero (third) shorten to primer and tercer before a masculine singular noun.
112
the first floor
el primer piso
113
the third day
el tercer día
114
the third floor
la tercera planta
115
Alguno and Ninguno
The adjectives alguno (some, any) and ninguno (no, not any) are also frequently placed before the noun. They take a written accent in the shortened form (before a masculine singular noun).
116
some people
algunas personas
117
some reason
algún motivo
118
no doubt
ninguna duda
119
no time, never
ningún momento
120
Superlatives and diminutives of adjectives
There are various ways to either intensify or tone down your use of adjectives. One way to intensify or even exaggerate your description is to add the suffix -ísimo to the end of an adjective to make the superlative. This grammatical structure doesn't exist in English, so the translation is a loose one, similar to very, extremely, or most in English. Note that your adjective with -ísimo still has to agree with the noun it modifies.
121
The suffix -ito
The suffix -ito, which indicates the diminutive for nouns, can also be applied to adjectives to add shades of meaning, or to express familiarity or affection. Use this construction with care, however, because it can also come off as belittling or derogatory when used inappropriately.
122
Muy, demasiado, bastante
The adverbs muy (very), demasiado (too), and bastante (quite, rather) can also be used to modify adjectives. They come before the adjective and do not change according to gender or number; they always stay the same.
123
She is very nice.
Ella es muy simpática.
124
He is too selfish.
Él es demasiado egoísta.
125
The food is quite good.
La comida es bastante buena.
126
The Question Words ¿Quién?, ¿Qué?, ¿Cuál?, and ¿Por qué?
To ask information questions, you will use question words, equivalent to the English who, where, what, when, why, and how. The question words ¿Quién? and ¿Cuál? in Spanish also have plural forms, ;.Quiénes? and ;Cuáles?.
All question words in Spanish have accents. The same words can also be used as connecting words when they appear without accents, as is the case with porque (= because—all one word), and que (= that). The accent denotes the interrogative use of the word and must be used every time you write a question.
Questions using a question word resemble English structure. Begin the question with the question word, followed by the verb. If there is also a noun subject, it follows the verb. When writing, remember to begin your question with ¿ and end it with ? When speaking, end your question with rising intonation.
127
Who is it?
¿Quién es?
128
Who works on Mondays?
¿Quién trabaja los lunes?
129
What do you study?
¿Qué estudias?
130
What does Pilar do?
¿Qué hace Pilar?
131
What is your phone number?
¿Cuál es tu número de teléfono?
132
Which do you want?
¿Cuál quieres?
133
Why do you all study Spanish?
¿Por qué estudian español?
134
Why don't you talk?
¿Por qué no hablas?
135
Who are you (pl)?
¿Quiénes son ustedes?
136
Who (all) is going to the party?
¿Quiénes van a la fiesta?
137
What are your (inf) favorite movies?
¿Cuáles son tus películas preferidas?
138
Which (ones) do you want?
¿Cuáles quieres?
139
To say whom, for whom or to whom...
Use the construction ¿A quién? or ¿A quiénes?.
140
To say: of, about, from or with whom
To say of whom, about whom, or from whom, use ¿De quién? or ¿De quiénes?, and to say with whom, use ¿Con quién? or ¿Con quiénes? Note that in many of these cases, saying who instead of whom has become common in colloquial English.
141
Who(m) are you looking for? (For whom are you looking?)
¿A quién buscas?
142
Who(m) are you speaking about? (About whom are you speaking?)
¿De quién hablas?
143
Who(m) are you going to the party with? (With whom are you going to the party?)
¿Con quién vas a la fiesta?
144
¿cuál? or ¿qué?
It is often difficult for English speakers to know when to use ¿Cuál? and when to use ¿Qué?, since both words can have the meaning What? or Which? Here are a few rules to guide you:
Use ¿Qué? before a singular or plural noun to ask Which? or What?
Use ¿Qué? to say What? when asking for a description or explanation.
Use ¿Qué? with the verb ser to ask for a definition.
Use ¿Cuál? before forms of the verb ser to ask What? or Which? and before other verbs and the preposition de to ask Which?, Which ones (out of a group)?
145
What languages do you speak?
¿Qué idiomas hablas?
146
Which book are you reading?
¿Qué libro estás leyendo?
147
What does azulejo mean?
¿Qué significa azulejo? glazed ceramic tile
148
What do you do (for a living)?
¿Qué haces?
149
What is this?
¿Qué es esto?
150
What is an avocado?
¿Qué es un aguacate?
151
What is your name?
¿Cuál es tu nombre?
152
Which of the bars do you prefer?
¿Cuál de los bares prefieres?
153
Which ones are your children?
¿Cuáles son tus hijos?
154
Which ones do you want?
¿Cuáles quieres?
155
Which book do you want?
¿Qué libro quieres?
156
Which of the books do you want (out of a group)?
¿Cuál de los libros quieres?
157
Which books do you want?
¿Qué libros quieres?
158
Which is the book that you want?
¿Cuál es el libro que quieres?
159
Verbs Ending in -er: Present Tense
In order to conjugate -er verbs, simply drop the -er and add the following endings to the stem: -o, -es, -e, -emos, -en.
160
They eat in a restaurant.
Comen en un restaurante.
161
I don't drink alcohol.
No bebo alcohol.
162
We read the newspaper in the morning.
Leemos el periódico por la mañana.
163
Does Pilar believe in aliens?
¿Pilar cree en extraterrestres?
164
to learn
aprender
165
to drink
beber
166
to understand
comprender
167
to run
correr
168
to believe
creer
169
to owe; to have to
deber
170
to read
leer
171
to put
to put [in]
poner: pongo, pones, pone, ponemos, ponen; meter (to put in)
172
to sell
vender
173
to see
ver
174
Verbs Ending in -ir: Present Tense
In order to conjugate -ir verbs, simply drop the -ir and add the following endings to the stem: -o, -es, -e, -imos, -en.
175
to accept; to allow; to admit (let in/mistake)
admitir
176
to decide
decider
177
to open
abrir
178
to cover
cubrir
179
to discuss, argue
discutir
180
to write
escribir
181
to receive
recibir
182
to go up, climb, raise
subrir
183
to suffer
sufrir
184
to live
vivir
185
We live in Canada.
Vivimos en Canadá.
186
Hugo writes books.
Hugo escribe libros.
187
Do you suffer from any illness?
¿Sufres de alguna enfermedad?
188
My brother and I argue.
Mi hermano y yo discutimos.
189
to say
decir; digo, dices, dice, decimos, dicen
190
The Verb Estar
You will often see the question words ¿Dónde? and ¿Cómo? used with the verb estar. Ser talks about the intrinsic qualities of something, estar is used to express a state or condition. Think about transient qualities, such as how or where something is. Estar is irregular in the yo form. Otherwise, it follows the rules for -ar verbs in the present tense. It is used to describe a feeling, temporary state, or condition.
191
She's thin with short hair.
Es delgada con el cabello corto.
192
She is intelligent and generous.
Es inteligente y generosa.
