Take the fastest path to fluent Spanish
The common Spanish adjectives bueno, malo and grande have shortened forms.
Learn about the shortened forms of bueno, malo and grande in Spanish
Most adjectives come after a noun but the singular masculine adjectives bueno (good) and malo (bad) have special short forms - buen and mal - which can be used before the noun. Buen and mal can be used in front of masculine singular nouns, but they keep their longer forms "buena" and "mala" when used with feminine singular nouns. They have a slightly stronger meaning when used like this.
See and listen to these examples:
Similarly, grande (big), has a short-form gran which can also be used before the noun. Unlike buen and mal, gran can also be used with feminine nouns.
Gran has a more figurative meaning of great or fantastic when used like this.
Note: The general term for short forms like these is "apócope".
NB: The plural forms stay the same even if used before the noun. For example:
See also Position of adjectives in Spanish.
Want to make sure your Spanish sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »
