Words to Describe and Compare Things

Adjectives and Adverbs

Adjectives in Spanish describe nouns, while adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.
They agree in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) with the noun they modify.
Most adjectives in Spanish have four forms; for example, alto, alta, altos, altas (tall).
If the noun is masculine singular like libro (book), use alto. For feminine singular nouns like casa (house), use alta. The forms altos and altas are used for plural masculine and feminine nouns respectively.

Comparison of Equality

To express likeness or equality in Spanish, use tan + adjective/adverb + como or tanto(a)(s) + noun + como.
Ella es tan inteligente como su hermana (She is as intelligent as her sister).

Comparison of Inequality

Más (more) and menos (less) are used to compare differences.
Use más/menos + adjective/adverb/noun + que structure for comparisons of inequality.
Mi coche es más grande que tu coche (My car is bigger than your car).

Superlatives

To make a superlative statement in Spanish use el/la/los/las + más/menos + adjective + de.
Ella es la más inteligente de la clase (She is the smartest in the class).

Absolute Superlatives

This form is equivalent to ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ followed by an adjective in English.
Drop the final vowel in the adjective and add -ísimo(a)(s).
Este libro es aburrido (This book is boring). In the absolute superlative form, it’s Este libro es aburridísimo (This book is extremely boring).

Diminutives and Augmentatives

Add -ito(a)(s) or -cito(a)(s) to the end of a noun to express something is small or cute (diminutive).
- Perro becomes perrito (little dog).
To express something is big or grandiose (augmentative), add -ón(a)(s) or -ote(a)(s).
- Casa becomes casón (big house).

Remember to ensure that any adjectives used for comparison or description agree in gender and number with the noun they are associated with.