Table of Contents
Adjectives are the colorful words that paint our sentences with vivid details! They help us describe the world around us, adding richness and depth to our conversations. Whether we’re talking about a tall tree, a delicious cake, or a fast car, adjectives give life to our stories, making them more engaging and expressive.
For children, learning adjectives in Spanish is an essential step in developing strong language skills. These descriptive words allow them to express their thoughts and feelings more clearly, describe their experiences in detail, and connect with others by sharing what they see and feel.
Studycat’s Learn Spanish app offers engaging games and activities that make Spanish vocabulary learning simple and fun.
Ready to enhance your Spanish language skills with some descriptive sparkle?
List of common adjectives in Spanish
Adjectives help us describe objects, people, and experiences, enriching our language with details that bring our stories to life. The following adjectives are many of the most common Spanish adjectives used in everyday life. By practicing these adjectives, children can enhance their ability to describe the world around them with precision and creativity.
Here’s a list of common adjectives that are versatile and useful in many contexts:
new - nuevo
nuevo (pronounced: NWEH-voh)
“¡Me regalaron una bicicleta nueva para mi cumpleaños!”
“I got a new bicycle for my birthday!“
old - viejo
viejo (pronounced: vee-EH-hoh)
“Él prefiere leer libros viejos con cubiertas desgastadas.”
“He prefers reading old books with worn covers.”
beautiful - hermoso
hermoso (pronounced: er-MOH-soh)
“Ella observó el hermoso atardecer desde el balcón.”
“She watched the beautiful sunset from the balcony.”
ugly - feo
feo (pronounced: FEH-oh)
“Ese edificio viejo es realmente feo y necesita algo de pintura.”
“That old building is really ugly and needs some paint.”
clean - limpio
limpio (pronounced: LEEM-pee-oh)
“La cocina estaba reluciente y limpia después de que ella ordenó.”
“The kitchen was sparkling clean after she tidied up.”
dirty - sucio
sucio (pronounced: SOO-see-oh)
“Sus zapatos estaban sucios después de jugar afuera todo el día.”
“His shoes were dirty after playing outside all day.”
big - grande
grande (pronounced: GRAHN-deh)
“Viven en una casa grande con seis dormitorios.”
“They live in a big house with six bedrooms.”
small - pequeño
pequeño (pronounced: peh-KEH-nyoh)
“Ella tiene una pequeña colección de sellos que atesora.”
“She has a small collection of stamps she treasures.”
long - largo
largo (pronounced: LAR-goh)
“Él fue a dar un largo paseo por el parque.”
“He went for a long jog around the park.”
short - corto
corto (pronounced: KOR-toh)
“Tomamos un corto descanso para estirar las piernas.”
“We took a short break to stretch our legs.”
fast - rápido
rápido (pronounced: RAH-pee-doh)
“El guepardo es un animal increíblemente rápido.”
“The cheetah is an incredibly fast animal.”
slow - lento
lento (pronounced: LEN-toh)
“Él conduce demasiado lento en el carril rápido.”
“He drives too slow in the fast lane.”
Adjectives for describing how things look
These adjectives help us describe what things look like in Spanish, from size and shape to color and texture. Learning these words allows children to talk about how things appear in the world around them.
beautiful - hermoso
hermoso (pronounced: er-MOH-soh)
“Ella llevaba un hermoso vestido a la fiesta.”
“She wore a beautiful dress to the party.”
ugly - feo
feo (pronounced: FEH-oh)
“El edificio viejo era feo y necesitaba reparaciones.”
“The old building was ugly and in need of repair.”
tall - alto
alto (pronounced: AHL-toh)
“El árbol alto en el patio proporciona mucha sombra.”
“The tall tree in the yard provides lots of shade.”
short - bajo
bajo (pronounced: BAH-hoh)
“El hombre bajo se estiró para alcanzar el libro en el estante.”
“The short man reached up to grab the book from the shelf.”
round - redondo
redondo (pronounced: reh-DON-doh)
“La pelota redonda rodó colina abajo.”
“The round ball rolled down the hill.”
square - cuadrado
cuadrado (pronounced: kwah-DRAH-doh)
“Ella dibujó un cuadrado en el papel con una regla.”
“She drew a square on the paper with a ruler.”
thin - delgado
delgado (pronounced: del-GAH-doh)
“El papel delgado se rompió fácilmente cuando se mojó.”
“The thin paper tore easily when wet.”
thick - grueso
grueso (pronounced: GROO-eh-soh)
“El libro grueso tardó mucho tiempo en leerse.”
“The thick book took a long time to read.”
bright - brillante
brillante (pronounced: bree-YAHN-teh)
“El sol brillante iluminó toda la habitación.”
“The bright sun lit up the entire room.”
dark - oscuro
oscuro (pronounced: os-KOO-roh)
“La habitación oscura estaba llena de sombras.”
“The dark room was filled with shadows.”
Adjectives for describing emotions
These adjectives are essential for expressing feelings and emotions in Spanish. They help children communicate how they feel and understand the emotions of others, building empathy and connection.
happy - feliz
feliz (pronounced: feh-LEES)
“Ella estaba feliz cuando recibió su regalo.”
“She was happy when she received her gift.”
sad - triste
triste (pronounced: TREES-teh)
“Él se sintió triste después de que su amigo se mudó.”
“He felt sad after his friend moved away.”
angry - enojado
enojado (pronounced: eh-noh-HAH-doh)
“Ella estaba enojada cuando se rompió su juguete.”
“She was angry when her toy was broken.”
excited - emocionado
emocionado (pronounced: eh-moh-see-oh-NAH-doh)
“Él estaba emocionado de ir al parque de diversiones.”
“He was excited to go to the amusement park.”
scared - asustado
asustado (pronounced: ah-soos-TAH-doh)
“Ella estaba asustada durante la tormenta.”
“She was scared during the thunderstorm.”
bored - aburrido
aburrido (pronounced: ah-boo-REE-doh)
“Él estaba aburrido esperando que llegara el autobús.”
“He was bored waiting for the bus to arrive.”
surprised - sorprendido
sorprendido (pronounced: sor-pren-DEE-doh)
“Ella estaba sorprendida por la fiesta inesperada.”
“She was surprised by the unexpected party.”
nervous - nervioso
nervioso (pronounced: ner-vee-OH-soh)
“Él estaba nervioso antes de su gran actuación.”
“He was nervous before his big performance.”
proud - orgulloso
orgulloso (pronounced: or-goo-YOH-soh)
“Ella estaba orgullosa de su dibujo.”
“She was proud of her drawing.”
jealous - celoso
celoso (pronounced: seh-LOH-soh)
“Él estaba celoso cuando su amigo recibió una bicicleta nueva.”
“He was jealous when his friend got a new bike.”
Adjectives for describing taste and texture
These adjectives help us talk about how food and objects feel or taste in Spanish, adding detail to our descriptions. They’re useful for discussing meals, cooking, and sensory experiences.
sweet - dulce
dulce (pronounced: DOOL-seh)
“El pastel era tan dulce que la hizo sonreír.”
“The cake was so sweet, it made her smile.”
sour - agrio
agrio (pronounced: AH-gree-oh)
“El limón estaba demasiado agrio para comerlo solo.”
“The lemon was too sour to eat by itself.”
salty - salado
salado (pronounced: sah-LAH-doh)
“Los pretzels eran muy salados y crujientes.”
“The pretzels were very salty and crunchy.”
bitter - amargo
amargo (pronounced: ah-MAR-goh)
“El café estaba demasiado amargo sin azúcar.”
“The coffee was too bitter without sugar.”
spicy - picante
picante (pronounced: pee-KAHN-teh)
“El curry estaba muy picante, haciendo que sus ojos lagrimaran.”
“The curry was very spicy, making his eyes water.”
crunchy - crujiente
crujiente (pronounced: kroo-HYEN-teh)
“La manzana estaba fresca y crujiente.”
“The apple was fresh and crunchy.”
soft - suave
suave (pronounced: SWAH-veh)
“El pan estaba suave y caliente recién salido del horno.”
“The bread was soft and warm from the oven.”
juicy - jugoso
jugoso (pronounced: hoo-GOH-soh)
“El melocotón jugoso le goteaba por la barbilla.”
“The juicy peach dripped down her chin.”
dry - seco
seco (pronounced: SEH-koh)
“La tostada estaba seca y necesitaba mantequilla.”
“The toast was dry and needed butter.”
smooth - suave
suave (pronounced: SWAH-veh)
“El batido estaba suave y cremoso.”
“The smoothie was smooth and creamy.”
Adjectives for describing quantity and size
These adjectives help us talk about how much or how big something is in Spanish, which is important for understanding and describing the world around us.
big - grande
grande (pronounced: GRAHN-deh)
“Viven en una casa grande con un jardín amplio.”
“They live in a big house with a large garden.”
small - pequeño
pequeño (pronounced: peh-KEH-nyoh)
“Ella encontró una concha pequeña en la playa.”
“She found a small shell on the beach.”
few - pocos
pocos (pronounced: POH-kohs)
“Solo quedan pocas galletas en el frasco.”
“There are only a few cookies left in the jar.”
many - muchos
muchos (pronounced: MOO-chohs)
“Muchas personas vinieron al concierto.”
“Many people came to the concert.”
full - lleno
lleno (pronounced: YEH-noh)
“El frasco estaba lleno de caramelos.”
“The jar was full of candies.”
empty - vacío
vacío (pronounced: vah-SEE-oh)
“El vaso estaba vacío después de que él bebió todo el jugo.”
“The glass was empty after he drank all the juice.”
heavy - pesado
pesado (pronounced: peh-SAH-doh)
“La caja pesada era difícil de llevar por las escaleras.”
“The heavy box was hard to carry up the stairs.”
light - ligero
ligero (pronounced: lee-HEH-roh)
“La pluma era tan ligera que flotaba en el aire.”
“The feather was so light, it floated in the air.”
long - largo
largo (pronounced: LAR-goh)
“Él fue a dar un largo paseo por la tarde.”
“He went for a long walk in the evening.”
short - corto
corto (pronounced: KOR-toh)
“Ella se cortó el pelo corto para el verano.”
“She cut her hair short for the summer.”
Adjectives for describing weather and nature
These adjectives help us describe the world around us in Spanish, especially the weather and natural elements. They are useful for discussing outdoor activities and the environment.
sunny - soleado
soleado (pronounced: soh-leh-AH-doh)
“Era un día soleado, perfecto para un picnic.”
“It was a sunny day, perfect for a picnic.”
cloudy - nublado
nublado (pronounced: noo-BLAH-doh)
“El cielo estaba nublado, pero no llovió.”
“The sky was cloudy, but it didn’t rain.”
rainy - lluvioso
lluvioso (pronounced: yoo-vee-OH-soh)
“Era una tarde lluviosa, así que se quedaron adentro.”
“It was a rainy afternoon, so they stayed indoors.”
windy - ventoso
ventoso (pronounced: ven-TOH-soh)
“Hacía demasiado viento para volar la cometa.”
“It was too windy to fly the kite.”
snowy - nevado
nevado (pronounced: neh-VAH-doh)
“Las colinas nevadas eran perfectas para deslizarse en trineo.”
“The snowy hills were perfect for sledding.”
hot - caliente
caliente (pronounced: kah-lee-EN-teh)
“Era un día caliente, así que fueron a la playa.”
“It was a hot day, so they went to the beach.”
cold - frío
frío (pronounced: FREE-oh)
“El clima frío les hizo ponerse abrigos cálidos.”
“The cold weather made them wear warm coats.”
stormy - tormentoso
tormentoso (pronounced: tor-men-TOH-soh)
“La noche tormentosa mantuvo a todos despiertos.”
“The stormy night kept everyone awake.”
foggy - brumoso
brumoso (pronounced: broo-MOH-soh)
“La mañana brumosa dificultaba ver el camino.”
“The foggy morning made it hard to see the road.”
freezing - helado
helado (pronounced: eh-LAH-doh)
“Hacía un frío helado afuera, así que bebieron chocolate caliente para mantenerse calientes.”
“It was freezing outside, so they drank hot chocolate to stay warm.”
Exploring these adjectives helps us communicate more precisely and vividly about our surroundings in Spanish. Studycat’s engaging activities make learning these words fun and memorable!
How to learn and remember adjectives in Spanish
Adjectives are key to vivid descriptions, so here are some engaging ways to incorporate them into your Spanish learning:
- Descriptive drawing: Draw scenes or objects and label them with Spanish adjectives from the list.
- Adjective hunt: While reading a Spanish book or watching a Spanish movie, keep a list of adjectives used and discuss what they describe.
- Comparison game: Compare two items and use Spanish adjectives from the list to describe the differences and similarities.
- Adjective crafting: Create crafts based on adjectives, like a “hermoso” (beautiful) collage or a “sucio” (dirty) monster made from craft materials.
- Interactive stories: Create a story together in Spanish where you choose adjectives from the list to describe the characters and settings.
As we wrap up our exploration of adjectives in Spanish, remember that each new word you learn adds color and detail to your language skills. Until next time, keep describing the world in ever more colorful ways - or as we’d say in Spanish, “¡sigue describiendo el mundo de maneras cada vez más coloridas!”
(“Keep describing the world in more and more colorful ways!”)