10K+ students - 4.8/5
Learn with a teacher Learning materials included Practise conversation

This lesson focuses on forming Spanish adjectives from nouns using suffixes like -ado/a and -oso/a, as seen in words such as soleado (sunny), lluvioso (rainy), and helado (frozen). Learn how weather-related nouns transform into descriptive adjectives to enhance your vocabulary.
  1. To form adjectives from nouns, we add suffixes. For example: "ado/a" or "oso/a".
  2. The root may change slightly. For example: "hielo" becomes "helado".
SustantivoAdjetivo
El sol (The sun)Soleado (Sunny)/a
La lluvia (The rain)Lluvioso (Rainy)/a
La nieve (Snowy)Nevado (Snowy)/a
La nube (Cloudy)Nublado (Cloudy)/a
El viento (The windy)Ventoso (Windy)/a
El granizo (Granizado)Granizado (Hail-covered)/a
La sequía (Drought)Seco (Dry)/a
La humedad (Humid/a)Húmedo/a (Humid)
El hielo (It is frozen)Está helado (It is icy)/a

 

Exercise 1: Adjetivos derivados de un sustantivo: "-ado/a, -oso/a, ..."

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

húmedo, lluvioso, nublado, nevada, seco, soleado, helado

1.
La montaña está ... en invierno.
(The mountain is snow-covered in winter.)
2.
El lago está ... y podemos patinar.
(The lake is frozen and we can skate.)
3.
El clima en la selva es muy ....
(The climate in the jungle is very humid.)
4.
Hoy está .... Hace buen tiempo.
(Today it is sunny. The weather is nice.)
5.
El suelo está .... Hay mucho calor en el verano.
(The ground is dry. It is very hot in the summer.)
6.
El cielo está .... No hay sol.
(The sky is cloudy. There is no sun.)
7.
Ayer fue un día ... y gris.
(Yesterday was a rainy and grey day.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Hoy el cielo está muy _______ y parece que va a llover.

(Today the sky is very _______ and it looks like it is going to rain.)

2. En invierno hace mucho _______ y la nieve cubre las montañas.

(In winter it is very _______ and the snow covers the mountains.)

3. Después de la tormenta, el aire está fresco y _______.

(After the storm, the air is fresh and _______.)

4. Cuando el sol está fuerte, el día es _______ y caluroso.

(When the sun is strong, the day is _______ and hot.)

5. La temperatura es baja porque está _______ en las montañas.

(The temperature is low because it is _______ in the mountains.)

6. El tiempo está _______ hoy, no hay ni una nube en el cielo.

(The weather is _______ today, there isn’t a single cloud in the sky.)

Adjectives Derived from Nouns: "-ado/a", "-oso/a", and More

This lesson focuses on how to form descriptive adjectives in Spanish from nouns by adding common suffixes. These suffixes modify the noun's root to create adjectives that describe qualities related to that noun. Understanding this process will help you expand your vocabulary and describe weather conditions and other natural phenomena effectively.

Key Suffixes and Examples

Two common suffixes used to form adjectives from nouns are "-ado/a" and "-oso/a". Adding these endings can slightly change the root of the noun, so it’s important to recognize patterns and exceptions.

  • El sol (the sun) becomes soleado/a (sunny)
  • La lluvia (rain) becomes lluvioso/a (rainy)
  • La nieve (snow) becomes nevado/a (snowy)
  • La nube (cloud) becomes nublado/a (cloudy)
  • El viento (wind) becomes ventoso/a (windy)
  • El granizo (hail) becomes granizado/a (hail-covered)
  • La sequía (drought) becomes seco/a (dry)
  • La humedad (humidity) becomes húmedo/a (humid)
  • El hielo (ice) becomes helado/a (icy, frozen)

How Roots May Change

Sometimes, forming the adjective involves a slight change in the root word. For example, "hielo" changes to "helado" rather than simply adding the suffix to the original noun.

Useful Phrases for Practice

  • Hoy el cielo está muy nublado y parece que va a llover. (Today the sky is very cloudy and it looks like it will rain.)
  • En invierno hace mucho frío y la nieve cubre las montañas. (In winter, it’s very cold and the snow covers the mountains.)
  • Después de la tormenta, el aire está fresco y ventoso. (After the storm, the air is fresh and windy.)
  • Cuando el sol está fuerte, el día es soleado y caluroso. (When the sun is strong, the day is sunny and hot.)
  • La temperatura es baja porque está helado en las montañas. (The temperature is low because it’s icy in the mountains.)
  • El tiempo está seco hoy, no hay ni una nube en el cielo. (The weather is dry today; there isn’t a single cloud in the sky.)

Differences Between English and Spanish

In English, adjectives derived from nouns are often formed with different suffixes or entirely new words, such as "sunny" from "sun" or "rainy" from "rain." In Spanish, suffixes like "-ado/a" and "-oso/a" play a key role, and gender agreement is important. For example, "soleado" changes to "soleada" when describing feminine nouns. Also, Spanish frequently uses the verb estar (to be) with adjectives to describe temporary states, such as weather.

Understanding noun-to-adjective formation in Spanish helps learners create more natural and precise descriptions. Focus on recognizing suffix patterns and practicing gender agreement for effective communication.

Written by

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