Posición del adjetivo
Spanish adjectives may be found before or after the nouns they modify, depending on various factors. Generally speaking, descriptive adjectives follow nouns, while limiting adjectives (which includes all other kinds, such as demonstrative, indefinite, etc.) precede nouns.
I. Descriptive adjectives distinguish between different nouns of the same type and usually follow the nouns they modify: el libro verde vs el libro rojo.
Exceptions and notes
| A. | When two descriptive adjectives modify the same noun, they may | |||
| 1) | be joined by y. | |||
| la chica alta y bonita | the tall, beautiful girl | |||
| el libro emocionante e interesante | the thrilling and interesting book | |||
| 2) | surround the noun, with the shorter or less important adjective preceding the noun. | |||
| el joven inmigrante marroquí | the young Moroccan immigrant | |||
| un típico restaurante turístico | a typical tourist restaurant | |||
| B. | When a descriptive adjective indicates an inherent quality of a noun, it may precede. | |||
| la blanca nieve | the white snow | |||
| los altos picos | the tall peaks | |||
| C. | When a descriptive adjective expresses subjectivity, it precedes. | |||
| el mejor restaurante | the best restaurant | |||
| Es una mala idea. | It’s a bad idea. | |||
II. Limiting adjectives specify which nouns are under discussion and usually precede the nouns they modify: este libro vs
ese libro.
Exceptions
| A. | The long forms of possessive adjectives always follow the nouns they modify. | ||
| un amigo mío | a friend of mine | ||
| el libro tuyo | your book | ||
| B. | Ordinal numbers may follow the noun in order to emphasize it. | ||
| la casa segunda | the second house | ||
| las fiestas primeras | the first parties | ||
Related lessons
