This introduction covers La concordancia — The Agreement Rule within Adjective agreement + position for GCSE Spanish. Revise Adjective agreement + position in Core Grammar for GCSE Spanish with 13 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. Use this page as part of a wider topic revision path rather than treating it as an isolated fact. It is section 1 of 4 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
🔤 La concordancia — The Agreement Rule
In English, adjectives never change: "a tall boy / a tall girl / tall boys / tall girls." In Spanish, the adjective changes every time. Four forms, one rule: match the noun.
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | alto | altos |
| Feminine | alta | altas |
Examples: un chico alto · una chica alta · unos chicos altos · unas chicas altas
Adjectives ending in -e or a consonant have the same form for masculine and feminine — only the plural changes:
| Singular (masc + fem) | Plural (masc + fem) |
|---|---|
| inteligente | inteligentes |
| fácil | fáciles |
| difícil | difíciles |
| grande | grandes |
⭐ Key point: Agreement applies even when the adjective comes after the verb ser or estar. Example: Mi madre es alta. (My mother is tall.) — the adjective alta is feminine because madre is feminine, even though a verb separates noun and adjective. Never forget agreement just because the adjective is not sitting directly next to the noun.
Practice questions for Adjective agreement + position
Quick recall flashcards
The 4-way agreement table — alto (tall)
Masc sing → ?
Fem sing → ?
Masc pl → ?
Fem pl → ?
Masc sing → alto
Fem sing → alta
Masc pl → altos
Fem pl → altas
Rule: -o ending adjectives change to -a for feminine; add -s for plural.
Examples:
• un chico alto / una chica alta
• unos chicos altos / unas chicas altas
Nationality adjectives: making the feminine form
inglés → ?
español → ?
francés → ?
alemán → ?
inglés → inglesa (accent drops in feminine)
español → española
francés → francesa (accent drops in feminine)
alemán → alemana (accent drops in feminine)
Rule: nationality adjectives ending in a consonant: add -a for feminine AND drop any written accent, because the stress naturally falls on the right syllable without it.