I can say what someone is wearing and what color it is — una camisa blanca, los pantalones negros — making the adjective agree with the noun.
What color?
The adjective agrees with the thing
To say what an item is like, Spanish puts the adjective AFTER the noun: la camisa blanca, los zapatos negros. The English order “white shirt” doesn't work here.
Four forms. English adjectives never change, but adjectives ending in -o follow the gender and number of the item: rojo (el jersey), roja (la falda), rojos (los zapatos), rojas (las camisetas). blanco, negro, and amarillo work the same way.
Two forms. Adjectives ending in -e or a consonant do NOT change for gender: verde, azul, gris, marrón are the same for masculine and feminine. Only the number changes: verdes, azules, grises, marrones (the accent mark over the o disappears).
The plural follows the familiar rule: after a vowel -s, after a consonant -es.
llevar means “to wear”: Llevo una camisa azul. Mi padre lleva un jersey gris. A regular -ar verb.
Usually plural, as in English “pants” and “shoes”: los pantalones, los zapatos — and their adjective is plural too: Los pantalones son negros.
Asking about color: ¿De qué color es la chaqueta? — Es marrón. ¿De qué color son los pantalones? — Son azules.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “la roja falda” — correct: la falda roja.
• NOT “la camisa blanco” — correct: la camisa blanca.
• NOT “los zapatos azul” — correct: los zapatos azules.
• NOT “las camisetas amarillos” — correct: las camisetas amarillas.
The color matches the thing
The adjective goes after the noun and matches its gender and number.
| Item | Colors ending in -o: four forms | Colors ending in -e or a consonant: two forms | |
|---|---|---|---|
| masc. sg. | el jersey | el jersey rojo | el jersey azul |
| fem. sg. | la falda | la falda roja | la falda azul |
| masc. pl. | los zapatos | los zapatos rojos | los zapatos azules |
| fem. pl. | las camisetas | las camisetas rojas | las camisetas azules |
| like rojo | blanco · negro · amarillo | four forms: -o, -a, -os, -as | two forms: verde, azul, gris, marrón |
Lesson notes
The adjective agrees with the thing
To say what an item is like, Spanish puts the adjective AFTER the noun: la camisa blanca, los zapatos negros. The English order “white shirt” doesn't work here.
Four forms. English adjectives never change, but adjectives ending in -o follow the gender and number of the item: rojo (el jersey), roja (la falda), rojos (los zapatos), rojas (las camisetas). blanco, negro, and amarillo work the same way.
Two forms. Adjectives ending in -e or a consonant do NOT change for gender: verde, azul, gris, marrón are the same for masculine and feminine. Only the number changes: verdes, azules, grises, marrones (the accent mark over the o disappears).
The plural follows the familiar rule: after a vowel -s, after a consonant -es.
llevar means “to wear”: Llevo una camisa azul. Mi padre lleva un jersey gris. A regular -ar verb.
Usually plural, as in English “pants” and “shoes”: los pantalones, los zapatos — and their adjective is plural too: Los pantalones son negros.
Asking about color: ¿De qué color es la chaqueta? — Es marrón. ¿De qué color son los pantalones? — Son azules.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “la roja falda” — correct: la falda roja.
• NOT “la camisa blanco” — correct: la camisa blanca.
• NOT “los zapatos azul” — correct: los zapatos azules.
• NOT “las camisetas amarillos” — correct: las camisetas amarillas.