Spanish Adjective Agreement with People

Summary

This video lesson explains the concept of adjective agreement in Spanish, focusing on how adjectives must match the gender and number of the nouns they describe. Unlike English, where adjectives don't change, Spanish requires adjectives to align with masculine or feminine, singular or plural forms. Examples are given to show how adjectives change based on whether you're describing a boy or a girl. The key takeaway is that adjectives in Spanish must always agree with the noun in gender and number.

Takeaways

• 😀 Adjectives in Spanish must agree with nouns in terms of gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural).
• 😀 In English, adjectives do not change based on gender or number, but in Spanish, they must change accordingly.
• 😀 The adjective 'tall' in Spanish can be 'alto', 'alta', 'altos', or 'altas', depending on the gender and number of the noun.
• 😀 If you're a male, you describe yourself as 'alto', because 'o' endings are masculine.
• 😀 If you're a female, you describe yourself as 'alta', because 'a' endings are feminine.
• 😀 Nouns and adjectives in Spanish must always be in agreement in both gender and number.
• 😀 For example, 'María es rubia' because María is feminine, and the adjective 'rubia' agrees with the noun.
• 😀 'Él es alto' is correct because 'él' (he) is masculine, and 'alto' is the masculine form of the adjective.
• 😀 Adjectives in Spanish also change based on whether the subject is singular or plural, such as 'altos' for masculine plural.
• 😀 It's important to remember that Spanish adjectives must always align with the subject they describe, unlike in English.

Q & A

What is 'concordancia' in Spanish?

'Concordancia' refers to adjective agreement, meaning that adjectives must match the nouns they describe in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural).

How is adjective agreement different in Spanish compared to English?

In English, adjectives do not change regardless of the noun they describe (e.g., 'tall' remains the same for singular and plural, masculine or feminine). In Spanish, however, adjectives change to match the gender and number of the noun they describe.

What are the four forms of the adjective 'alto' in Spanish?

The four forms are: 'alto' (masculine singular), 'alta' (feminine singular), 'altos' (masculine plural), and 'altas' (feminine plural).

Why does the adjective 'alto' change in different contexts in Spanish?

The adjective 'alto' changes to agree with the noun it describes in terms of both gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural).

How would a boy describe himself as tall in Spanish?

A boy would say 'soy alto,' where 'alto' is the masculine singular form of the adjective.

How would a girl describe herself as tall in Spanish?

A girl would say 'soy alta,' where 'alta' is the feminine singular form of the adjective.

Why does the sentence 'Maria es rubia' use 'rubia' and not 'rubio'?

'Rubia' is used because 'Maria' is feminine, and adjectives must agree with the gender of the noun they describe.

What is the rule for adjective agreement in Spanish when describing a group of people?

When describing a group, if the group is all male or mixed-gender, the adjective takes the masculine plural form (e.g., 'altos'). If the group is all female, the adjective takes the feminine plural form (e.g., 'altas').

What does 'él es alto' mean, and why does the adjective take this form?

'Él es alto' means 'He is tall.' The adjective 'alto' is in the masculine singular form to agree with 'él' (he).

How would you describe a group of tall sisters in Spanish?

You would say 'mis hermanas son altas,' where 'altas' is the feminine plural form to match the feminine plural noun 'hermanas.'