Adjective Position

Posición del adjetivo

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Spanish adjectives may be found before or after the nouns they modify, depending on various factors. There are two main categories of adjectives: descriptive adjectives, which usually follow nouns, and limiting adjectives, which precede nouns.

1) Descriptive adjectives

Descriptive adjectives are what you think of when someone says "adjective." Also known as qualifying adjectives, they describe a quality of a noun (color, size, shape …), distinguish between different nouns of the same type, and usually* follow the nouns they modify.

Por ejemplo…

Notes

A. Two descriptive adjectives modifying the same noun may

1. be joined by y.

2. surround the noun, with the shorter or less important adjective preceding the noun.

B. A descriptive adjective indicating an inherent quality of a noun may precede it.*

C. A descriptive adjective expressing subjectivity precedes the noun.*

2) Limiting adjectives

Limiting adjectives belong to the category of terms known as determiners: they specify which nouns are under discussion and always precede them.

Por ejemplo…

Types of limiting adjectives

• Demonstrative adjectives
• Exclamative adjectives
• Indefinite adjectives
• Interrogative adjectives
• Numbers
• Possessive adjectives
• Relative adjective

 Exceptions

A. The long forms of possessive adjectives always follow the nouns they modify.

B. Ordinal numbers may follow the noun in order to emphasize it.

 Related lessons

• * Advanced adjective position
• Introduction to adjectives
• PwLS super list of adjective lessons
   

 En français

• Position des adjectifs
   

 In italiano

• Posizione dell’aggettivo
   

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