In Spanish, adjectives can be placed either before or after the noun they modify.
Noun + adjective
Read and listen to these examples:
In the examples above, the adjective is placed after the noun. It describes a noun and attributes a quality to it that differentiates it. For example, the adjective japonés makes a distinction between "Japanese computers" and computers from other countries.
Noun + adjective is the most common order for adjectives in Spanish.
Adjective + noun
Now, read and listen to these examples:
In the examples above, the adjective is placed before the noun. The adjective is not describing the noun in order to differentiate it, instead it is expressing that this quality is naturally associated with the noun it modifies. For example, la nieve, la sangre and las lechugas have characteristic colours, so the adjectives are emphasising them, but not differentiating them from other nouns.
Adjective + noun is rarely heard in spoken Spanish, but it can be seen in literary texts to emphasise characteristics.
Bear in mind that sometimes we place the adjective in front of the noun simply to emphasise/highlight that quality, even if it is not an adjective naturally associated wth the noun; for example:
The second example is more emphatic.
Again, the second example is more emphatic.
Meaning depends on the order
However, there are other times when the meaning of the adjective changes, depending on its position before or after the noun.
Read and listen to these examples:
In the examples above, the adjective pobre changes meaning depending on its position before or after the noun.
The position of the adjective prior to the noun generally adds an extra nuance to the meaning. Bear in mind though that this difference in meaning/extra nuance is not applicable to absolutely all nouns. Sometimes this nuance happens with specific nouns.
Have a look at this list of common meaning-changing adjectives:
| Adjective | Before the noun | After the noun |
| antiguo | former | antique/old (in age) |
| bajo | low | short |
| bueno | simple/good | good/gentle/generous |
| grande | great | big |
| pobre | unfortunate | poor |
| viejo | former/long-time | old/aged |
Here are some contrasting examples:
If we say:
We are referring to Marisa being unfortunate, pitiable, unlucky; we are not saying that she is "poor" meaning without money.
but if we say:
Here we are referring to a guy who is poor (he doesn't have any money)
If we say:
This is referring to a friend of long-standing, a friendship that started long ago.
But look at the meaning when the adjective is after the noun:
Remember that adjectives always agree in gender and number with the noun they modify, regardless of their position!
See also Bueno, malo, grande become buen, mal, gran before a noun (apócope).
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