Flashcard 3P03-003

Spanish

Activa

English

active

SpanskNett characterSpain and the United Kingdom

See the pattern

Gender and number

Two gender forms

Masculine · singular

activo

el chico activo

Feminine · singular

activa

la chica activa

Masculine · plural

activos

los chicos activos

Feminine · plural

activas

las chicas activas

After an unstressed vowel, add -s: triste → tristes, alto → altos, alta → altas.

Why does the adjective change? Tips and examples

An adjective describes a noun and agrees with that noun’s grammatical gender and number. The noun determines the form, regardless of who is speaking.

Un chico alto · una chica alta · unos chicos altos · unas chicas altas.

Many adjectives ending in -o change to -a for feminine nouns. Others have the same form for both genders, such as feliz, inteligente and joven. “Same form for both genders” does not necessarily mean the plural stays the same.

The noun’s grammatical gender matters: “Camilo es una persona simpática”. Persona is feminine, so simpática agrees with persona even when describing Camilo.

For a group containing both masculine and feminine members, the usual agreement is masculine plural: “Camila y Camilo están contentos”.

Gender and number follow the noun with both SER and ESTAR: “es alto / es alta”, “están contentos / están contentas”. The choice of verb can change the meaning, but this agreement rule still applies.

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Language reference: UCM · gender and number

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Choose the matching adjective form.

el chico ___

Exercises for this card

Example

Soy activa