Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

This lesson focuses on Spanish adjectives like bonito (pretty), feo (ugly), bueno (good), malo (bad), fuerte (strong), and débil (weak), teaching you how to describe appearance, quality, and intensity in everyday situations.
  1. Use bonito and feo to describe appearance.
  2. Use bueno and malo to rate something in general terms.
  3. Use fuerte and débil for degrees of intensity.
Adjetivo (Adjective)Ejemplo (Example)
Bonito (Pretty)El color del pasaporte es muy bonito. (The colour of the passport is very pretty.)
Feo (Ugly)El piloto es feo. (The pilot is ugly.)
Bueno (Good)El vuelo ha sido bueno. (The flight has been good.)
Malo (Bad)La instrucción ha sido mala. (The instruction has been bad.)
Fuerte (Strong)El cinturón de seguridad está fuerte. (The seatbelt is tight.)
Débil (Weak)El audio es débil. (The audio is weak.)

Exercise 1: Adjectives: "Bonito", "Feo", "Bueno", "Malo", etc ...

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

malo, bonito, bueno, fuerte, débil

1.
Mucha calidad: El control de seguridad es ....
(High quality: The security check is good.)
2.
Poca intensidad: El cinturón de seguridad está ..., asegúrate de ponértelo bien.
(Low intensity: The seatbelt is weak, make sure you fasten it properly.)
3.
Poca intensidad: La instrucción para el embarque ha sido ..., no ha estado muy clara.
(Low intensity: The instruction for boarding has been weak, it has not been very clear.)
4.
Mucha intensidad: La señal de seguridad en el aeropuerto es ....
(High intensity: The safety signal at the airport is strong.)
5.
Poca calidad: El servicio en el mostrador ha sido ..., hemos tenido que esperar mucho tiempo.
(Poor quality: The service at the counter has been bad, we have had to wait a long time.)
6.
Mucha calidad: El vuelo ha sido ..., sin retrasos y problemas.
(High quality: The flight was good, without delays or problems.)
7.
Poca calidad: El vuelo de esta mañana ha estado ..., el piloto ha parecido cansado.
(Poor quality: This morning's flight has been bad, the pilot seemed tired.)
8.
Buena apariencia: El pasaporte que llevas es ..., con un diseño elegante.
(Good appearance: The passport you carry is nice, with an elegant design.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct sentence that properly uses descriptive adjectives to describe typical situations at the airport and on the airplane.

1.
'Bad' is not used to describe appearance; it indicates a general negative evaluation.
'Good' is not used to describe appearance, but to evaluate something in general terms.
2.
'Ugly' is used to describe physical appearance, not to evaluate food.
'Weak' indicates intensity or strength, it is not suitable to qualify food.
3.
'Bad' does not describe intensity and the phrase is also contradictory.
'Pretty' describes appearance, not resistance or strength.
4.
'Good' is not used to describe appearance, but general qualities.
'Strong' indicates physical strength or intensity, it does not describe appearance in this context.

Adjectives in Spanish: "Bonito", "Feo", "Bueno", "Malo", and More

This lesson introduces important Spanish adjectives that express qualities and characteristics in everyday contexts, especially useful for describing people, objects, and experiences at the A2 level.

Understanding Qualitative Adjectives

Qualitative adjectives in Spanish describe the qualities or states of nouns. This lesson focuses on adjectives expressing extremes or clear distinctions of qualities.

Key Adjectives Covered

  • Bonito and Feo: Used primarily to describe appearance or visual attractiveness.
    Example: El color del pasaporte es muy bonito.
  • Bueno and Malo: Used to evaluate something generally in terms of quality or goodness.
    Example: El vuelo ha sido bueno.
  • Fuerte and Débil: Used to indicate intensity or strength.
    Example: El cinturón de seguridad está fuerte.

Usage Tips

Knowing which adjective to use based on what you want to express is important:

  • Use bonito and feo when describing how something looks.
  • Use bueno and malo to talk about general quality or condition.
  • Use fuerte and débil to express levels of intensity or force.

Important Notes on Spanish vs. English

Unlike English, some Spanish adjectives change form to agree with gender and number, an important nuance to master:

  • Example: "El piloto es feo" (masculine singular) vs. "La piloto es fea" (feminine singular).
  • The adjectives bueno and malo also change form for gender and number, e.g., "bueno", "buena", "buenos", "buenas".

Useful phrases:

  • Muy bonito/fea – very pretty/ugly
  • Es bueno/malo – it is good/bad
  • Está fuerte/débil – it is strong/weak

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This content has been designed and reviewed by the coLanguage pedagogical team: About coLanguage

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Alessia Calcagni

Languages for communication in international enterprises and organizations

Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia

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Last Updated:

Thursday, 17/07/2025 13:21