Reinforcing Adjectives
Adjectives that reinforce
the meaning of the noun, or adjectives that ‘go with’ an accompanying noun are
placed BEFORE the noun. Often, the purpose of these adjectives is less for
describing the noun that's modified & more for conveying some sort of an
emotion to it. For example:
una oscura noche
(a dark night)
el horrible monstruo
(the horrible monster)
la alta montaña
(the high mountain)
la blanca nieve
(the white snow)
Meaning-Changing
Adjectives
Some adjectives change
in meaning depending on whether they're placed before or
after the noun. Generally,
adjectives placed AFTER the noun have an OBJECTIVE MEANING or one that carries
little or NO EMOTIONAL CONTENT, while one placed BEFORE the noun can indicate
HOW THE SPEAKER FEELS toward the person or thing being described. For instance:
mi viejo amigo
(my longtime friend) VS.
mi amigo viejo (my elderly friend)
el gran canal
(the grand/great canal) VS.
el canal grande (the big canal)
In General
Except for meaning-changing adjectives, you won't go wrong by placing a descriptive adjective AFTER the noun. However, as you examine Spanish writing or listen to the spoken language, you will develop a feel for those cases where you CAN OR SHOULD place adjectives BEFORE the noun.
Except for meaning-changing adjectives, you won't go wrong by placing a descriptive adjective AFTER the noun. However, as you examine Spanish writing or listen to the spoken language, you will develop a feel for those cases where you CAN OR SHOULD place adjectives BEFORE the noun.
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