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The Most Useful Adjectives To Know In 4 Major Languages

If you could only learn a handful of descriptive words in a new language, what would they be? Here are the most common adjectives in Spanish, French, German and Italian — and some tips on how to use them.
common adjectives

When you’re just cracking your very first round of beginner lessons in a new language, the sheer volume of unfamiliar words can be daunting enough to discourage you from the get-go. Want to know how to deal if you’re overwhelmed? Focus your vocab training on the most common adjectives, verbs, nouns, pronouns and prepositions — really, any short word that gets a lot of mileage. In many languages, the most common hundred words or so make up the majority (or at least a large portion) of the language as it’s usually spoken.

To help you get the ball rolling, we’ve compiled a guide to the most common adjectives to know in four of our most popular learning languages: Spanish, French, German and Italian.

Click the links below to skip ahead, or keep scrolling for some very educational content.

Spanish
French
German
Italian


 
 

The 9 Most Common Adjectives In Spanish

1. Bueno/a – Good

Examples:

El té de tomillo es bueno para la tos. – Thyme tea is good for coughs.
¡Qué bueno! – That’s great!

2. Bonito/a (Spain), Lindo/a (Latin America) – Beautiful

Examples:

Esa playa es muy bonita. – That beach is very pretty.
¡Que lindo es el monitor de esquí! – What a cute ski instructor!

3. Importante – Important

Examples:

Mi salud es importante para mi. – My health is important to me.
Uxmal es una ciudad maya muy importante. – A very important Mayan city

4. Mucho/a – Many, much, very

Examples:

Lo siento mucho. – I am very sorry.
Parece que en este barrio viven muchos artistas. – Many artists are supposed to live in this quarter.

5. Difícil – Difficult

Examples:

Aprender español no es muy difícil. – To learn Spanish is not very difficult.
Es muy díficil elegir. – It’s very difficult to choose.

6. Grande – Big

Examples:

La casa grande – The big house
Tenemos una tienda grande. – We have a big tent.

7. Pequeño/a – Small

Examples:

El pequeño pueblo pintoresco tiene solo veinte habitantes. – The small picturesque village has only twenty inhabitants.
El hermano pequeño – The little brother

8. Divertido/a – Funny

Examples:

¡Qué divertido! – How funny!
¡Es divertido pasar la aspiradora! – It’s fun to vacuum!

9. Fácil – Easy

Examples:

La melodía es bastante fácil de cantar. – The tune is quite easy to sing.
¿Fue fácil vivir juntos? – Was it easy to live together?

 
 

The 12 Most Common Adjectives In French

1. Petit – Small or of little importance

Examples:

Un petit problème – A small issue
Il est petit. – He is small.

2. Grand – Large, tall, important, worthy of respect

Examples:

Un grand problème – A big issue
Un grand homme – A great man
Il est grand. – He is tall.

3. Drôle – Something that surprises you or makes you laugh

Examples:

C’est drôle ! – That’s funny!
Il est drôle. – He’s funny.

4. Super – Super, great, extraordinary

Examples:

Un film super – A great film
Super ! – Great !

5. Dernier – Last

Examples:

Il est arrivé dernier à la course. – He finished last at the race.
Le petit dernier – The little one (when talking about the youngest child in a family)

6. Premier – First

Examples:

Le premier étage – The first floor
À la première occasion – At the first opportunity

7. Possible – Possible, doable, believable

Examples:

Non ? Pas possible ! – No? No way! (Expression of surprise and disbelief)
C’est possible… – It’s possible…

8. Jeune – Young

Examples:

Les jeunes mariés – Couple that just got married
Une jeune fille – A young girl
Un jeune homme – A young man
Le marié a l’air très jeune. – The groom looks very young.

9. Grave – Serious, considerable, critical

Examples:

Une grave erreur – A serious mistake
L’heure est grave ! – The situation is critical!
Ce n’est pas grave. Il va quand même faire beau. – That’s not too bad. The weather will be nice anyway.

10. Beau – Beautiful

Examples:

Les beaux jours – Warmer days after winter has passed
C’est un beau jardin. – It’s a beautiful garden.

11. Public/ique – Public

Examples:

Un jardin public – A public garden
Travailler dans le secteur public – To work in the public sector
Ils vont à l’école publique. – They go to a public school.

12. Nouveau – New

Examples:

Un nouveau livre – A new book
C’est nouveau ! – That’s new !

 
 

The 20 Most Common Adjectives In German

1. Ganz – Whole

Examples:

Ich habe eine ganze Tafel Schokolade gegessen. – I ate a whole bar of chocolate.
Ich habe die ganze Nacht getanzt. – I danced all night.

2. Neu – New

Examples:

Lass uns auf das neue Jahr anstoßen! – Let’s raise our glasses to the new year!
Unser neuer Nachbar macht merkwürdige Geräusche. – Our new neighbor makes strange noises.

3. Anders — Different, other

Examples:

Ich habe keine andere Wahl. – I don’t have another choice.
Die andere Schokolade schmeckt viel besser. – The other chocolate tastes way better.

4. Groß – Big, tall

Examples:

Sie wohnen in einem sehr großen Haus. – They live in a very big house.
Meine große Schwester lebt in New York. – My big sister lives in New York.

5. Erste, -r, -s – First

Examples:

Mein erster Job war als Barista in einem Cafe. – My first job was as a barista in a coffee shop.
Liebling, wie war dein erster Arbeitstag? – My love, how was your first day at work?

6. Viel – Much, A lot

Examples:

Es gibt viel Arbeit zu tun. – There is a lot of work to do.
Viele Köche verderben den Brei. – Many cooks spoil the broth (lit. mush).

7. Deutsch – German

Examples:

Der Sänger singt deutsche Lieder. – The singer sings German songs.
Das ist ein deutsches Auto. – This is a German car.

8. Gut – Good

Examples:

Ich liebe gutes Essen. – I love good food.
Das ist ein gutes Buch. – This is a good book.

9. Weit – Far, wide

Examples:

Das weite Meer – The open/endless (lit. wide) sea
Die weite Straße war komplett leer. –
The wide street was completely empty.

10. Klein – Small

Examples:

Er hat kleine Füße. – He has small feet.
Meine kleine Schwester –
My little sister

11. Lang – Long

Examples:

Er wohnt in dieser langen Straße. – He lives on this long street.
Das ist der längste Wal der Welt. – This is the longest whale on earth.

12. Alt – Old

Examples:

Ich bin eine alte Frau. – I am an old woman.
Ich mag diesen alten Tisch sehr. – I love this old table very much.

13. Hoch – High, up, much

Examples:

Der hohe Kirchturm ist wunderschön. – The high church tower is beautiful.
Ich kann die hohe Miete nicht mehr bezahlen. – I can’t pay the high rent anymore.

14. Letzte, -r, -s – Last

Examples:

Der letzte Tag – The last day
Hatten Sie letzte Woche Urlaub? – Were you on vacation last week?

15. Eigen – Own

Examples:

Das ist mein erstes eigenes Auto. – This is the first car I owned (lit. my first own car).
Kümmere dich um deine eigenen Angelegenheiten! – Take care of your own business (lit. matters)!
Sie hat ihren ganz eigenen Willen. – She has her very own will.

16. Schön – Nice, beautiful

Examples:

Diese schönen Blumen sind für dich! – These beautiful flowers are for you!
Einen schönen Tag noch!
– Have a nice day!

17. Spät – Late

Examples:

Entschuldige die verspätete Antwort. – Sorry for the late answer.
Er kommt am späten Nachmittag an. – He will arrive in the late afternoon.

18. Wichtig – Important

Examples:

Heute Abend hatte Jana eine wichtige Verabredung. – Jana had an important date this evening.
Er möchte eine wichtige Ansage machen. – He wants to make an important announcement.

19. Weitere, -r, -s – Further, additional

Examples:

Weitere Karriere – Next stage of a career (lit. “further career”)
Weitere Informationen findet ihr unter dem Link. – You’ll find further information under the link.

20. Genau – Exact, precise

Examples:

Die genaue Adresse findest du in der E-Mail. – You will find the exact address in the email.
Kannst du mir die genaue Uhrzeit sagen? – Can you tell me the exact time?


 
 

The 21 Most Common Adjectives In Italian

1. Altro/a – Other

Examples:

Mi può portare un altro asciugamano, per favore? – Could I have an extra towel, please?
Desidera qualcos’altro? – Can I get you anything else?

2. Tanto/a – So much, much

Examples:

Ogni tanto ho così tanta sete che vedo un miraggio. – Sometimes I am so thirsty that I see a mirage.
Ma cosa faresti con così tanti soldi? – What would you do with so much money?
Ti auguro tanta felicità per l’anno che verrà! – I wish you every happiness in the new year!

3. Poco – Little, not much

Examples:

Normalmente mangio pochi carboidrati. – I normally eat very few carbohydrates.
Mi piacciono solo poche cose. – I only like a few things.

4. Molto – Much, very, a lot

Examples:

Mangiare molta frutta e verdura fa bene. – Eating a lot of fruit and vegetables is good for you.
Luana la mattina ha sempre molta fretta. – In the morning, Luana is always in a (lit. has a lot of) hurry.

5. Stesso/a – Same

Examples:

Lo stesso tragitto – The same way/route
Dobbiamo fare lo stesso tragitto. – We have to go (lit. make) the same way.
Dal lavoro a casa prendo ogni sera lo stesso treno. – I catch the same train home from work every evening.

6. Primo/a – First

Examples:

Il treno per Milano delle 7 e 55 è in partenza dal primo binario. – The train to Milan at 7:55 is departing from platform 1.
Il primo tempo
– The first half

7. Ogni – Every

Examples:

Abbiamo lavorato ogni giorno. – We worked each day.
A ogni morte di papa – Once in a blue moon (lit. “at every death of a pope”)

8. Grande – Big

Examples:

La tavola non è abbastanza grande per otto persone. – The table is not big enough for eight people.
Lui ha un naso grande. – He has a big nose.

9. Bello/a – Beautiful

Examples:

Non è molto bello ma è davvero simpatico! – He is not very handsome, but he is really nice!
Per la gita abbiamo ottenuto un bello sconto. – We got a great discount for the trip.

10. Nuovo/a – New

Examples:

Anno nuovo, vita nuova! – New year, new life!
Un cappotto nuovo – A new coat

11. Certo/a – Certain, sure

Examples:

Noto un certo disfattismo. – I notice a certain defeatism.
Le città vecchie hanno un certo fascino. – Old cities have a certain charm.

12. Vero/a – True

Examples:

È un vero fan della tecno. – He is a real techno fan.
A maggio il giardino è un vero prodigio! – In May, the garden is a real wonder!

13. Buono/a – Good

Examples:

Questo vino è tanto buono quanto caro. – This wine is as good as (it is) expensive.
L’esercizio è buono per il corpo e lo spirito.
– Exercise is good for body and soul.

14. Italiano/a – Italian

Examples:

Marco è italiano. – Marco is Italian.
Mi piace qualche regista italiano. – I like some Italian directors.

15. Ultimo/a – Last

Examples:

Questo è l’ultimo mercoledì del mese. – That’s the last Wednesday of the month.
Si, ho capito, prenderò l’ultimo autobus. – Yes, I’ve understood. I’ll take the last bus.

16. Vecchio/a – Old

Examples:

Spero di diventare molto vecchio. – I hope that I will get very old.
L’ho guardato tante volte! Ma è un film vecchio, vero? – I’ve seen it so many times! But it’s an old movie, isn’t it?

17. Piccolo/a – Small

Examples:

È probabile che offrano un piccolo contributo. – It’s probable that they (will) offer a small contribution.
Il piccolo paese pittoresco ha solo venti abitanti. – The small picturesque village has only twenty inhabitants.

18. Giovane – Young

Examples:

Lo sposo sembra molto giovane. – The groom looks very young.
La nostra coinquilina più giovane ha 33 anni. – Our youngest roommate is 33 years old.

19. Alto/a – High, tall, up

Examples:

Carlo è alto. – Carlo is tall.
Quest’affitto non è alto. – This rent isn’t high.

20. Diverso/a – Different

Examples:

È possibile suddividere queste varianti in diverse famiglie. – It’s possible to divide these variants into different families.
È normale che tu e io abbiamo idee diverse. – It’s normal that you and I have different ideas.

21. Lungo/a – Long

Examples:

Un lungo viaggio – A long trip
Infinite Jest di David Foster Wallace ha oltre 1000 pagine: è un libro lungo.Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace is over 1,000 pages long – it’s a long book.

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Steph Koyfman

Steph is a senior content producer who has spent over five years writing about language and culture for Babbel. She grew up bilingually and had an early love affair with books, and, later, studied English literature and journalism in college. She also speaks Russian and Spanish, but she’s a little rusty on those fronts.

Steph is a senior content producer who has spent over five years writing about language and culture for Babbel. She grew up bilingually and had an early love affair with books, and, later, studied English literature and journalism in college. She also speaks Russian and Spanish, but she’s a little rusty on those fronts.

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