What is adjectival agreement?

Adjectival agreement means that the adjective 'agrees' with the noun it's describing in gender and number.

 

Number

This is nice and simple in Spanish. If you have more than one of something, put an S on the end of the adjective, as well as the noun.

For example:

El gato negro. (The black cat.)

Los gatos negros. (The black cats.)

 

Gender

Spanish nouns are either masculine or feminine*. The adjective must agree with the gender of the noun.

In most cases, end the adjective with an O for masculine, and an A for feminine. 

E.g.

El gato negro. (The black cat.)

La casa negra. (The black house.)

 

Some adjectives stay the same whether they are describing a masculine or a feminine noun. These adjectives usually end in E.

E.g. Grande (big), Verde (green).

They must still agree in number.

E.g.

Las casas verdes. (The green houses.)

Los gatos grandes. (The big cats.)

 

Don't forget, the noun generally comes before the adjective.

 

*See my explanation for masculine and feminine nouns.