Beginner A2How To Use The 15 Most Common Adjectives In Spanish
Learning the most common adjectives in Spanish can help you differentiate between things, whether they be grande or pequeño. Here are a few to get you going!
By Thomas Moore Devlin
Key Takeaways
Learn high-frequency adjectives to describe things when a noun escapes you: bueno/buena ("good"), bonito/bonita or lindo/linda ("beautiful"), importante ("important"), and more
Watch regional variants and agreement: bonito is common in Spain, lindo in Latin America; most adjectives change for gender and number (bueno/buena; rápidos/rápidas).
Use adjectives to clarify fast when you lack a noun—e.g., la grande ("the big one"), la bonita ("the pretty one"), el fácil ("the easy one")—and pair them with core verbs for everyday communication.
When you first start learning a language, you'll be confronted by a huge amount of vocabulary. Learning the names of all the different things you'll encounter is worthwhile, but when you're running around in a different country, sometimes you'll encounter something you don't remember the noun for.
Fortunately, there's something that can save you: adjectives! Learning the most common adjectives in Spanish will help you distinguish between things or refer to things when the name is right on the tip of your tongue. Here's a quick guide to some of the most important Spanish adjectives, which should give you a good grounding in your studies. And if you're looking to brush up on your Spanish verbs, too, we have a guide for that.
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The Top 15 Spanish Adjectives
1. bueno/a — good, great
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, pretty, cute
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. — Uxmal is 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 neighborhood.
5. difícil — difficult
Examples:
Aprender español no es muy difícil. — Learning Spanish is not very difficult.
Es muy dífici 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, little
Examples:
El pequeño pueblo pintoresco tiene solo veinte habitantes. — The small picturesque village has only twenty inhabitants.
el hermano pequeño — the little brother
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8. divertido/a — fun, 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?
10. antiguo/a — old
Examples:
El castillo es antiguo. — The castle is old.
La tradición es antigua y significativa. — The tradition is old and meaningful.
11. rápido/a — fast
Examples:
El tren es rápido y eficiente. — The train is fast and efficient.
El corredor es rápido. — The runner is fast.
12. joven — young
Examples:
El artista es joven y talentoso. — The artist is young and talented.
La generación joven es innovadora. — The young generation is innovative.
13. feliz — happy
Examples:
Ella está feliz con su logro. — She is happy with her achievement.
El niño está feliz. — The child is happy.
14. lleno/a — full
Examples:
El vaso está lleno de agua. — The glass is full of water.
El estadio está lleno de aficionados. — The stadium is full of fans.
15. vacío/a — empty
Examples:
El cuarto está vacío y silencioso. — The room is empty and quiet.
Mi estómago está vacío. — The stomach is empty.
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Thomas Moore Devlin
Thomas is the editorial lead, and he has been at Babbel for over six years. He studied linguistics in college, and also has a background in English literature. He now lives in Berlin, where he spends most of his free time walking around and reading an unhealthy number of books.
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