Learning the most common Spanish adjectives is key to getting you writing and talking in Spanish fast.
Adjectives are like the clothing of our sentences. Without them, statements feel naked and incomplete. They allow us to describe exactly what we mean and want.
In Spanish, common adjectives are just as important as they are in English. Here we have compiled a list of adjectives (descriptive words) to get you started.
- How to describe physical appearance
- How to describe feelings
- How to describe character traits
- How to describe weather and food
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How to describe physical appearance
This Spanish adjectives list is essential to give a description of a place, person or object. Common Spanish adjectives are handy if you’re traveling in a Spanish-speaking country and are trying to ask for directions using basic words and phrases.
- Grande – big
La ciudad es muy grande. (The city is very big.) - Pequeño(a) – little
¡Qué perro tan pequeño! (What a little dog!) - Bonito(a) – pretty
Estas casas son bonitas. (These houses are pretty.) - Feo(a) – ugly
Este vestido sí que es feo. (This dress is for sure ugly.) - Chaparro(a) – short in height (used for people)
Marina es chaparra. (Marina is short.) - Corto(a) – short in length (used for objects like clothes or movies)
Esa serie es muy corta. (That TV show is very short.) - Alto(a) – tall (used for objects and people)
Los edificios son altos, así como tú. (The buildings are tall, just like you.)
How to describe feelings
Some of the most basic Spanish adjectives have to do with describing how we feel. Here are common Spanish adjectives you can try using today.
- Triste – sad
Me siento triste cuando no estás (I feel sad when you’re not around.) - Feliz – happy
Esta canción siempre me hace sentir feliz (This song always makes me happy.) - Aburrido(a) – bored
Estoy muy aburrida con tu historia (Your story is making me bored.) - Enojado(a) – angry
Nunca estoy enojada (I’m never angry.) - Nervioso(a) – nervous
La entrevista me está poniendo nerviosa. (The interview is making me nervous.)
How to describe character traits
These are some of the most important and common Spanish adjectives. They help us describe the people we know. They also describe what we dislike or like about a person, experience or object.
- Divertido(a) – fun
María es muy divertida (María is very fun.) - Inteligente – smart
Ella es también muy inteligente (She’s also very smart.) - Fácil – easy
El examen estuvo fácil (The test was easy.) - Rápido(a) – fast
Vas muy rápido (You’re going too fast.) - Lento(a) – slow
Qué tren tan lento (What a slow train.) - Bueno(a) – good
Es una buena película (It is a good movie.) - Malo(a) – bad
No seas mala (Don’t be so bad/mean.)
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How to describe weather and food
These common Spanish adjectives for daily chit-chat deserve their own section. Just like in other languages, the most used Spanish adjectives are related to the weather and food. Why? Because we’re sure you don’t just want a taco. You want a delicious taco on a sunny day, right?
- Caliente – hot to the touch (for food)
La sopa está demasiado caliente (The soup is too hot.) - Caluroso(a) – warm (for the weather)
Qué día tan caluroso (What a warm day!) - Frío(a) – cold (weather and food)
Si el día no estuviera tan frío, me gustaría una fría limonada (If the day wasn’t so cold, I would want a cold lemonade.) - Delicioso(a) – delicious (weather and food)
El clima está delicioso… perfecto para un delicioso helado (The weather is delicious… perfect for a delicious ice cream.) - Soleado – sunny
Me gustan los días soleados (I like sunny days.)
Tips to learn the most used Spanish adjectives
Now that you know some of the basics, here are some tips for you to learn the most common Spanish adjectives for everyday language fast:
- Use technology. Use your phone applications to translate any adjectives that may come to mind. Watch YouTube videos to learn adjectives.
- Take notes. Physically write or type out the new adjectives you learn. Make sentences with them. Repeat them out loud.
- Categorize. Group words together and focus on the ones you would use the most in real life.
- Remember gender-number-subject agreement. Common adjectives in Spanish take on the gender and number of the noun. Most of the time, female adjectives end with an ‘a’ (la bicicleta rapida). Male adjectives with an ‘o’ (el carro lento). ‘E’ is neutral (palabra clave, anuncio clave). Plural nouns come with adjectives ending in ‘s’ (las bicicletas rojas).
Build your Spanish vocabulary with these common adjectives
Whether looking forward to a holiday in Mexico or trying to impress your Spanish-speaking friends, learning common Spanish adjectives is a cornerstone of the language. Now that you have some tips and lists of basic Spanish adjectives, it’s time to get a move on rápido.
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Alison Maciejewski Cortez is Chilean-American, born and raised in California. She studied abroad in Spain, has lived in multiple countries, and now calls Mexico home. She believes that learning how to order a beer in a new language reveals a lot about local culture. Alison speaks English, Spanish, and Thai fluently and studies Czech and Turkish. Her tech copywriting business takes her around the world and she is excited to share language tips as part of the Lingoda team. Follow her culinary and cultural experiences on Twitter.
