Ch 1 · Lesson 7Spanish · Chapter 1 · Lesson 7 · Grammar primer
La casa blanca: the adjective comes after
Describing words follow the noun: , . Words that count or point stay in front, as in English.
The short version
Describing adjectives follow the noun
.
Why?Hide
Colour, size, shape and nationality go after the noun: , , . Words that count or point stay in front, as in English: , , . When in doubt, put the describing word after.
Divergence 3: Adjectives go after the noun by default
Describing adjectives (colour, size, shape, nationality) follow the noun. It is the most difference from English.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| the white house |
| a red car |
| an interesting idea |
| the big book |
The thing first, then its colour: la casa blanca, never la blanca casa.
Words that count or point go before, as in English:
A few common adjectives can go before the noun, and then they shorten or change meaning: - a good friend; - a great man, against - a big man. That set is on the adjective agreement page. Until then, after the noun is the safe default.
Going further: The SVO baseline and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
Practise this lesson
8-question session
One question at a time, mixed across the exercises in this lesson. Miss one and it comes back round before the end.
New words in this lesson
Spanish · Free printables
Worksheets for this lesson
Worksheets with answer keys built in. Open any one to view, print or save.
Lesson 7 of 17 in this chapter