Adjective Placement

In English, adjectives almost always come before the noun: "the red car," "a beautiful house," "an interesting book." In Spanish, the default position for adjectives is after the noun. However, some adjectives regularly appear before the noun, and in certain cases, the placement changes the meaning entirely.

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The Default Rule: Adjectives After the Noun

Most descriptive adjectives in Spanish come after the noun they modify:

Spanish	English
un coche rojo	a red car
una casa grande	a big house
un libro interesante	an interesting book
una mujer inteligente	an intelligent woman
una ciudad bonita	a pretty city
un examen difícil	a difficult exam
agua fría	cold water
un día largo	a long day

Example Sentences

• Vivo en una casa blanca. (I live in a white house.)
• Tengo un perro pequeño. (I have a small dog.)
• Es un país hermoso. (It is a beautiful country.)
• Quiero una pizza grande. (I want a large pizza.)