Spanish: An Essential Grammar

However, when the nouns are of mixed gender, the adjective is masculine

and plural:

El sofá y la cama están sucios. The sofa and the bed are dirty.

Singular and plural of adjectives

Most adjectives have distinct singular and plural forms and agree in

number with their accompanying noun, or with the subject of the verb (if

the verb is ser, estar, pareceretc.).

The plurals are generally formed as for nouns, by adding an -sto those

ending in a vowel, and -esto those ending in a consonant. See 2.1.

Adjectives of colour

When nouns are used as adjectives of colour, such as those listed in 6.1.4.2,

they are usually not only invariable for gender but also for number

(although in speech and in Latin America this is not always the case):

unos guantes rosa some pink gloves

rayos ultravioleta ultraviolet rays

Similarly, compound colour adjectives are invariable for number:

blusas azul marino navy blue blouses

ojos verde claro light green eyes

Special cases of number agreement

When two or more nouns are considered to be a singleitem, the adjective

qualifying them may be singular and in that case it agrees with the nearest

noun:

Estudia lengua y cultura francesa. He studies French

language and culture.

el diseño y la moda italiana Italian design and fashion

6.2.2.1

6.2.2

6.2.1

6.2

1111

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

1011

1

12111

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

20111

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

30111

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

40

41111

Singular and

plural of

adjectives

55