In Spanish, adjectives can be placed either before or after the noun they modify.
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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 adjectives nueva and pobre change their meaning depending on their position before or after the noun.
Have a look at this list of common meaning-changing adjectives:
| Adjective | Before the noun | After the noun |
| alto | top/high class/excessive | tall |
| antiguo | old/former/ancient | antique |
| bajo | of low quality | short |
| bueno | simple/good | good/gentle/generous |
| grande | great | big |
| nuevo | another/newly acquired | new/newly-made |
| pobre | unfortunate | poor |
| raro | rare | strange |
| triste | dreadful | sad |
| viejo | former/long-time | old/aged |
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).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 Braimap today »
