9.5.1

Adjectives that Change Endings

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Adjectives that Change Endings

Some adjectives have different endings depending on if they are describing a masculine or feminine word.

Illustrative background for Adjectives ending in 'or'Illustrative background for Adjectives ending in 'or' ?? "content

Adjectives ending in 'or'

  • Adjectives that end in 'or' when describing a masculine word will end in 'ora' when describing a feminine word (ending in 'a' or 'as').
    • Mi hermano es muy hablador.
      • My brother is very talkative.
    • Mi hermana es muy habladora.
      • My sister is very talkative.
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Nationalities that end in a consonant (e.g. s, d, l)

  • Nationalities that end in a consonant when talking about a masculine thing or person will have an 'a' added to the ending when talking about a feminine thing or person.
    • Luis es espanol.
      • Luis is Spanish.
    • María es española.
      • María is Spanish.

Endings of Adjectives

Some adjectives have different endings depending on if they are describing a masculine or feminine word, but others always have the same ending.

Illustrative background for Adjectives ending in 'or'Illustrative background for Adjectives ending in 'or' ?? "content

Adjectives ending in 'or'

  • Adjectives that end in 'or' when describing a masculine word will end in 'ora' when describing a feminine word (ending in 'a' or 'as').
    • Mi hermano es muy hablador.
      • My brother is very talkative.
    • Mi hermana es muy habladora.
      • My sister is very talkative.
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Nationalities

  • Nationalities that end in a consonant when talking about a masculine thing or person will have an 'a' added to the ending when talking about a feminine thing or person.
    • Luis es espanol.
      • Luis is Spanish.
    • María es española.
      • María is Spanish.
Illustrative background for Adjectives that end in 'ior' Illustrative background for Adjectives that end in 'ior'  ?? "content

Adjectives that end in 'ior'

  • These adjectives have the same ending regardless of whether they are describing a masculine or feminine word. The only time these endings will change is if they are talking about more than one thing.
  • E.g. La generación anterior.
    • The previous generation.
  • E.g. El ejemplo anterior.
    • The previous example.
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Adjectives that end in 'e'

  • These adjectives have the same ending regardless of whether they are describing a masculine or feminine word.
  • The only time these endings will change is if they are talking about more than one thing.
  • E.g. Una experiencia emocionante.
    • An exciting experience.
  • E.g. Un talento impresionante.
    • An impressive talent.
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Adjectives used for comparison

  • These adjectives have the same ending regardless of whether they are describing a masculine or feminine word.
  • The only time these endings will change is if they are talking about more than one thing.
  • E.g. Su hermano mayor → su hermana mayor.
    • His/her older brother → his/her older sister.

'Grande', 'Bueno' and 'Malo'

'Grande' (big), 'bueno' (good), and 'malo' (bad) change when they come before a singular noun (ending 'o' or 'a').

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'Grande'

  • When 'grande' comes before a singular noun, it shortens to 'gran' and its meaning changes to great. This also happens before vowels and words beginning with 'h'.
  • 'Grande' shortens before a masculine or feminine noun.
    • Una gran pared.
      • A great wall.
    • Un gran evento.
      • A great event.
Illustrative background for 'Bueno' and 'malo'Illustrative background for 'Bueno' and 'malo' ?? "content

'Bueno' and 'malo'

  • 'Bueno' and 'malo' only shorten before singular masculine nouns ('o') or before vowels and words beginning with 'h'.
    • Un buen hijo.
      • A good son.
  • Un mal ejemplo.
    • A bad example.

Jump to other topics

1The Basics

2Current & Future Study & Employment

3Identity & Culture

3.1Me, My Family & Friends

3.2Me, My Family & Friends - Translations

3.3Technology in Everyday Life

3.4Technology in Everyday Life - Translations

3.5Free Time Activities

3.6Free Time Activities - Translations

3.7Customs & Festivals in Spanish Speaking Countries

3.8Customs & Festivals - Translations

4Areas of Interest

4.1Home, Town, Neighbourhood & Region

4.2Home, Town, Neighbourhood & Region - Translations

4.3Social Issues

4.4Social Issues - Translations

4.5Global Issues

4.6Global Issues - Translations

4.7Travel & Tourism

4.8Travel & Tourism - Translations

5Listening Practice

6Common Tenses

7Important Verbs

8Advanced Tenses

9Extra Grammar

9.1Articles

9.2Negatives

9.3Nouns

9.4Asking Questions

9.5Adjectives

9.6Adverbs

9.7Conjunctions

9.8Pronouns

9.9By, With, From, Of

9.10Verbs

9.11Comparisons

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