Spanish Phrases: Basic Spanish adjectives

This page gives some common Spanish adjectives. For a crash course in how to use adjectives, see this page on the basic grammar of Spanish adjectives.

A separate page has information on diminutive adjectives ending in -ito.

Basic adjectives crossword Basic adjectives wordsearch Spanish adjective flash cards

General-purpose Spanish adjectives

Here are some adjectives to do with basic concepts such as size, temperature, age and basic descriptions. (If you don't find the word you are looking for, try consulting this site's Spanish dictionary.)

pequeño, -a M F	-	small
grande	-	large; getting on, elderly
joven	-	young
mayor	-	elderly
bueno, -a	-	good
correcto, -a	-	right, correct
equivocado, -a M F	-	wrong, incorrect
frío, -a	-	cold
caliente	-	hot, warm
cálido, -a	-	warm (weather, person)
tibio, -a	-	warm, lukewarm
bonito, -a	-	pretty
largo, -a	-	long
corto, -a	-	short
fuerte	-	strong
débil	-	weak
claro, -a	-	light (in colour), bright; clear (most senses)
próximo, -a	-	next
siguiente	-	next, following
último, -a	-	last, most recent
pasado, -a	-	last, previous
cercano, -a	-	nearby
cerca	-	near
bajo, -a	-	low; short (person); quiet (voice)
alto, -a	-	high, tall
nuevo, -a	-	new
viejo, -a	-	old
fácil	-	easy
difícil	-	difficult
duro, -a	-	hard (as in 'difficult' or 'not soft')
ligero, -a	-	light (in weight); weak (in flavour)
pesado, -a	-	heavy
limpio, -a	-	clean
sucio, -a	-	dirty
lleno, -a	-	full
vacío, -a	-	empty
seco, -a	-	dry
mojado, -a	-	wet
fresco, -a	-	fresh (in sense of 'not stale' or 'chilly')
caro, -a	-	expensive
barato, -a	-	cheap
ruidoso, -a	-	loud, noisy
tranquilo, -a	-	quiet

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Basic adjectives to do with feelings, health, emotions

feliz	-	happy
contento, -a	-	happy, satisfied
cansado, -a	-	tired
triste	-	sad
preocupado, -a	-	worried, concerned
enfermo	-	ill
sano, -a	-	healthy
amable	-	kind, generous
amigable	-	friendly
simpático, -a	-	kind

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Colour adjectives

See this separate page for colour adjectives in Spanish.

Words and phrases that can be used with adjectives

The following words and phrases can be used to 'enhance' Spanish adjectives, or put them into a sentence.

estoy ...	-	I'm ...
está(s) ...?*	-	are you ...?
más ...	-	more..., ...er
menos ...	-	less...
muy ...	-	very...
completamente ...	-	completely ...
poco ...	-	hardly ...
bastante ...	-	quite ..., rather ...
tan ...	-	so ...
gravemente ...	-	seriously ...

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* Use the form está if you're speaking in a formal situation, e.g. to an "official" or somebody in a formal situation that you wouldn't address by their first name. To address somebody on everyday terms, use estás with the final -s. For more information, see the grammar section on Spanish subject pronouns.