CSTC COLLEGE OF SCIENCES TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATION, INC.

CSTC College Bldg. Gen. Luna St. Maharlika Hi-way, Pob. 3, Arellano Sub. Sariaya Province of
Quezon R4A
Registrar’s Office: 042 3290850 / 042 7192818
CSTC IT Center: 042 7192805
Atimonan Contact Number: 042 7171420

SCHOOL OF TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT

Instructional Module in
TPC8: FOREIGN LANGUAGE (ADVANCED SPANISH)

Preliminaries
I. Lesson Number 5
II. Lesson Title Demonstrative, Possessive, Qualifying Adjectives
III. Brief Introduction of Demonstrative adjectives are used to designate things or people. In Spanish,
the Lesson demonstrative adjectives are placed before the noun they designate. They
agree in number and gender with the designated object. Possessive
adjectives are used to designate the relationship between the possessor
and the object possessed. Qualifying Adjective in both English and Spanish,
adjectives indicate the properties of a noun. They define how something or
someone is. They describe several types of characteristics.
IV. Lesson Objectives a. To know the use of demonstrative adjectives in Spanish and the three
categories of demonstrative adjective.
b. To know the what is possessive adjective and it’s use.
c. To know the what is qualifying adjective and it’s use.

Lesson Proper
I. Getting Started
DEMONSTRATIVE ADJECTIVE

Demonstrative adjectives are used to designate things or people. In Spanish, demonstrative adjectives
are placed before the noun they designate. They agree in number and gender with the designated
object.

Examples:
 Mi tío compró esta casa. My uncle bought this house.
 ¿Me podrías pasar esos libros por favor? Could you please give me these books?
 Aquellas chicas juegan football. These girls play soccer.

DEMONSTRATIVE ADJECTIVES CLASSIFIED IN SPANISH

In English there is only one type of demonstrative adjective (this/that/that/those), whereas in Spanish
there are several.

In Spanish they vary according to the degree of distance in time and space between the person
speaking (the speaker) and the things he/she is talking about (the designated object). They can therefore
be associated with adverbs of place.

Demonstrative adjectives can be classified into three categories:

 the speaker is close to the objects he/she is talking about;

 the speaker is relatively close to the objects he/she is talking about;
 the speaker is far from the objects he or she is talking about.

THE THREE CATEGORIES OF DEMONSTRATIVE ADJECTIVES

1. DEMONSTRATIVE ADJECTIVES CLOSE TO THE SPEAKER

The demonstrative adjectives of the first category are used to designate an object close in time and/or
space to the speaker.
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CSTC College Bldg. Gen. Luna St. Maharlika Hi-way, Pob. 3, Arellano Sub. Sariaya Province of
Quezon R4A
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The referent adverb of place is “aquí”/”acá” (here, very close).

As a rule, these adjectives are used in sentences constructed in the present tense.
Singular Plural

Masculine Este Estos

Feminine Esta Estas

Neutral Esto

Examples:
 Este perro es muy tierno. (This dog is very cute).
 Estas hojas no son mías. (These leaves are not mine).

2. DEMONSTRATIVE ADJECTIVES SLIGHTLY DISTANT FROM THE SPEAKER

The demonstrative adjectives of the second category are used to designate an object relatively close to
the speaker.

They take us slightly away from the speaker but bring us closer to the interlocutor.
The referent adverb of place is “ahí” (there, not very far).

Singular Plural

Masculine Ese Esos

Féminine Esa Esas

Neutral Eso

Examples:
 Me encantan esos vestidos. I love these dresses.
 Esas joyas son preciosas. These jewels are beautiful.

Placed after the noun the demonstrative adjective “ese” can induce a pejorative notion.
 ¡Odio el libro ese! I hate this book!

3. DEMONSTRATIVE ADJECTIVES FAR FROM THE SPEAKER

The demonstrative adjectives of the third category are used to designate an object or a person distant
from the speaker in space and/or time.

The referent adverb of place is “allí”/”allá” (there, far away).

Singular Plural

Masculine Aquel Aquellos

Feminine Aquella Aquellas

Neutral Aquello Aquellos

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CSTC College Bldg. Gen. Luna St. Maharlika Hi-way, Pob. 3, Arellano Sub. Sariaya Province of
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Examples:
 Aquella noche celebramos su titulación. That night we celebrated his graduation.
 Aquellos niños son muy inquietos. These children are very restless.

THE IMPORTANCE OF CONJUGATION WITH DEMONSTRATIVE ADJECTIVES

In Spanish, conjugation can be used to reinforce the notion of spatial and temporal distance of
demonstrative adjectives.

Indeed, the past and future tenses support the notion of distance. In the sentence “Aquella noche
celebramos su titulación”, the speaker understands that the action took place several weeks, months or
years ago.

The near future tense allows the speaker to note a relatively close distance. By using it with
demonstrative adjectives of the second category, the speaker marks a slight temporal distance.

POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES

Possessive adjectives are used to designate the relationship between the possessor and the object
possessed.

HOW DO POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES AGREE?

In Spanish possessive adjectives agree in gender (feminine or masculine), number (singular or plural) and
person (depending on the relationship between the speaker, the possessed object and its owner) with
the noun that follows.

Examples:
 Nuestras tortas son deliciosas. Our pies are delicious.
 Nuestros hijos son muy altos. Our children are very tall.

WHERE DO POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES GO IN THE SENTENCE?

Possessive adjectives are placed before the noun. They can be separated from the object they refer to
by a qualifying adjective.

Examples:
 Te regalo mi vaso. I offer you my glass.
 Te regalo mi gran vaso. I’m giving you my big glass.

WHAT ARE THE POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES IN SPANISH?

In the following table we have listed the different possessive adjectives in the Spanish language.
Masculine Feminine

Singular Mi Mi

Tu Tu

Su Su

Nuestro Nuestra

Vuestro Vuestra

Su Su
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CSTC College Bldg. Gen. Luna St. Maharlika Hi-way, Pob. 3, Arellano Sub. Sariaya Province of
Quezon R4A
Registrar’s Office: 042 3290850 / 042 7192818
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Plural Mis Mis

Tus Tus

Sus Sus

Nuestros Nuestras

Vuestros Vuestras

Sus Sus

WHICH POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES SHOULD BE USED IN THE CASE OF POLITE AND INFORMAL FORMS OF
ADDRESS?

Note that English uses the same pronouns (you) and possessive adjectives (your, yours) for formal and
informal forms of address.

In the example “Your father is Australian” we cannot know if the speaker is addressing one person,
several people or several people.

On the other hand, this distinction is possible in Spanish thanks to the possessive adjectives “su”/”sus”.
Su”/”sus” correspond to the third person singular and plural (in English “his”, “her”, “their”) as well as to
“vous” (in English “your”, “yours”).

 If the speaker is polite to one or more people, the possessive adjectives “su”/”sus” are used.
 If the speaker wants to use the informal speech with several people, he will use the possessive
adjectives “vuestro”/”vuestros” (male) or “vuestra”/”vuestras” (female).

Examples:
 Su padre es Francés. Your father is French. -> formal address
 Vuestro padre es Francés. Your father is French. -> informal address for several people

IS IT NECESSARY TO PUT AN ACCENT (TILDE) ON “MI”?

Be careful not to confuse the possessive adjective “mi” (“my”) and the personal pronoun “mí” (“me”).
Only the personal pronoun “mí” has an accent (tilde). This is what allows us not to confuse it with the
possessive adjective.

Example:
 A mí me encanta mi chaqueta. I love my jacket.

QUALIFYING ADJECTIVE

In both English and Spanish, adjectives indicate the properties of a noun.

They define how something or someone is. They describe several types of characteristics:

 a quality (for example: una ciudad gris / a grey city; una playa privada / a private beach) ;
 a local reference (for example: una isla mediterránea / a Mediterranean island);
 a temporal reference (for example: un evento veraniego / a summer event);
 a relationship (for example: la política marítima / the maritime policy).

Qualifying adjectives (“adjetivos calificativos” in Spanish) indicate the physical characteristics (size, color,
etc.) and mental states (mood, personality, etc.) of a person or object.
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CSTC College Bldg. Gen. Luna St. Maharlika Hi-way, Pob. 3, Arellano Sub. Sariaya Province of
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Registrar’s Office: 042 3290850 / 042 7192818
CSTC IT Center: 042 7192805
Atimonan Contact Number: 042 7171420

WHERE TO PLACE THE QUALIFYING ADJECTIVE IN THE SPANISH SENTENCE?

In the Spanish sentence the qualifying adjective is usually placed after the noun that it completes.
When they are placed before the noun they can have a different meaning.

ADJECTIVES PLACED BEFORE THE NOUN

Placed before the noun, qualifying adjectives can be used to emphasize a quality. This order allows to
express a personal and therefore subjective opinion. This order is generally used in literary texts.

 Example: La bonita flor que adorna la mesa. The pretty flower that decorates the table.

Some qualifying adjectives change their meaning when placed before the noun.

Examples:
 Mi amiga es una mujer grande. My friend is a tall woman.
 Aquella reina fue una gran mujer. This queen was a great lady.

NUMERAL ADJECTIVES

As a general rule, numeral adjectives are placed before the noun. They are sometimes found after the
noun. When they are placed after the noun their meaning does not change.

Examples:
 Ayer leí el primer capítulo del libro. Yesterday I read the first chapter of the book.
 El capítulo primero trata de la Reconquista. The first chapter is about the Reconquest.

HOW DO QUALIFYING ADJECTIVES AGREE IN SPANISH?

In Spanish, qualifying adjectives agree in gender (feminine or masculine) and number (singular or
plural) with the noun they qualify.

GENDER AGREEMENT

When an adjective qualifies a feminine noun, it agrees in the feminine.

REGULAR ADJECTIVES

Adjectives that end in “-o” in the masculine, change to “-a” when qualifying a feminine noun.

Examples:
 Un libro blanco. A white book.
 Una casa blanca. A white house.

QUALIFYING ADJECTIVES ENDING IN A CONSONANT

Adjectives ending with a consonant are invariable in gender. This means that they are written in the
same way whatever the gender of the noun they qualify.

Examples:
 Un chico inteligente. An intelligent boy.
 Una chica inteligente. An intelligent girl.
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CSTC College Bldg. Gen. Luna St. Maharlika Hi-way, Pob. 3, Arellano Sub. Sariaya Province of
Quezon R4A
Registrar’s Office: 042 3290850 / 042 7192818
CSTC IT Center: 042 7192805
Atimonan Contact Number: 042 7171420

EXCEPTIONS
Qualifying adjectives ending in “-or”, “-ol”, “-ón”, “-án”, “-ín” and “-és” (except for “cortés”) have a final
“-a” added when they qualify a feminine noun.

Examples:
 Jean es un nombre francés. Jean is a French name.
 Josefina lee poesía española. Josefina reads Spanish poetry.
 Martina no fue cortés contigo. Martina was not courteous to you.

ADJECTIVES THAT END IN « -E »

Qualifying adjectives ending in “-e” are invariable in gender.

Examples:
 Un traje verde. A green suit.
 Una chaqueta verde. A green jacket.

AGREEMENT IN NUMBER

When an adjective qualifies a noun in the plural it takes the plural mark.

REGULAR QUALIFYING ADJECTIVES

In the feminine and masculine, the plural of qualifying adjectives is formed with the ending “-s”.

Examples:
 Carlos cocina postres muy ricos. Carlos cooks very good desserts.
 Juan escribe cartas románticas. Juan writes romantic letters.

ADJECTIVES THAT END IN A CONSONANT, “- Í” OR “-Ú”

When a qualifying adjective ends with a consonant, “- í” or “-ú”, add “-es” at the end of the word.

Examples:
 Me gusta el vino francés. → Me gustan los vinos franceses. I like French wine. → I like French
wines.
 Me encanta la música hindú. → Me encantan las músicas hindúes. I love Hindu music. → I love
Hindu musics.

ADJECTIVES THAT END IN “-Z”

For qualifying adjectives that end in “-z”, the plural is constructed as “-ces”.

Example:
 Juan es un niño feliz. → Juan y Roberto son niños felices. Juan est un enfant heureux. → Juan et
Roberto sont des enfants heureux.

II. Discussion
The topic discusses the Demonstrative Adjective classification and categories in Spanish, the importance
of conjugation with demonstrative adjectives and the Possessive Adjective describes it’s use, agree in
gender, number and in person and where do possessive adjectives go in the sentence. Highlight the list of
Possessive Adjectives and the Spanish qualifying adjectives use both in English and Spanish, numeral
adjectives and how qualifying adjectives agree in gender, regular adjective, adjective in consonants and
exceptions.
III. Application (Performance Task -40%)
 CSTC COLLEGE OF SCIENCES TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATION, INC.
CSTC College Bldg. Gen. Luna St. Maharlika Hi-way, Pob. 3, Arellano Sub. Sariaya Province of
Quezon R4A
Registrar’s Office: 042 3290850 / 042 7192818
CSTC IT Center: 042 7192805
Atimonan Contact Number: 042 7171420

Refer to your LMS for instruction

IV. Assessment (Written Works-30%)

Refer to your LMS for instruction
V. Reflection (Performance Task -40%)
Refer to your LMS for instruction
VI. References
1. https://spanishfornoobs.com/advanced-spanish-grammar-pdf/

Prepared by:

JESSICA P. DELA CRUZ

Instructor

Reviewed by: Approved by:

DIANA GRACIA T. EVANGELISTA, MM,CHP JESS JAY M. SAJISE, DBA

Program Head, School of Tourism & Hospitality Vice President of Academic Affairs External
Management