Spanish grammar: adjetivos calificativos: concordancia de género y número

What this grammar point covers

In Spanish, descriptive adjectives must match (agree with) the gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) of the noun they describe.

When to use it

Use this agreement whenever you use a descriptive adjective to describe a noun in Spanish. The adjective changes its ending to match whether the noun is masculine or feminine, and singular or plural.

Key forms

• Masculine singular: chico alto
• Feminine singular: chica alta
• Masculine plural: chicos altos
• Feminine plural: chicas altas

Examples

Tips

• Always check if the noun is masculine or feminine, singular or plural, and change the adjective ending accordingly.
• Adjectives ending in -o usually change to -a for feminine (alto/alta), and add -s for plural (altos/altas).
• Some adjectives, like 'inteligente', don't change for gender, only for number: inteligente/inteligentes.

Exceptions and edge cases

• Some adjectives have irregular forms or do not change for gender, like 'gris' (gris/grises).