A Catalan adjective normally marks the number of the noun it describes. English leaves “quiet” unchanged in “a quiet street” and “quiet streets”; Catalan contrasts un carrer tranquil with uns carrers tranquils. Gender and number work together, so the correct plural may be -s, -es, or -os rather than one universal ending.
Plural agreement applies wherever the adjective appears: after the noun, before it, or after a verb. It also reveals how coordinated nouns are grouped and whether a color word is functioning as a true adjective or as a noun in apposition.
The basic paradigm
The most productive pattern adds -s to the masculine singular and replaces feminine -a with -es.
| Gender and number | petit | Phrase |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine singular | petit | un balcó petit |
| Feminine singular | petita | una terrassa petita |
| Masculine plural | petits | uns balcons petits |
| Feminine plural | petites | unes terrasses petites |
Hem trobat un balcó petit, però les dues terrasses són prou grans.
We found a small balcony, but the two terraces are large enough.
Aquestes cases blanques tenen portes blaves i balcons estrets.
These white houses have blue doors and narrow balconies.
The second sentence has three agreement chains: aquestes cases blanques is feminine plural, portes blaves is feminine plural, and balcons estrets is masculine plural. An adjective does not merely copy the nearest visible ending; it agrees with the noun it describes.
Regular -s and -es
Gender-invariable adjectives normally add -s for either gender: jove/joves, amable/amables, difícil/difícils, gran/grans. Adjectives with a feminine in -a change that vowel to -es: alta/altes, nova/noves, catalana/catalanes.
Els infermers joves són amables, i les metgesses joves també són molt amables.
The young nurses are kind, and the young doctors are also very kind.
Les noves companyes catalanes ja coneixen els procediments interns.
The new Catalan colleagues already know the internal procedures.
Masculines ending in a stressed vowel often restore a consonant before plural -s: català/catalans, rodó/rodons, bo/bons. The feminine already shows that consonant in catalana, rodona, bona. This historical alternation is frequent, but not universal: nu/nus and cru/crus do not add n. Learn the full paradigm rather than inventing the plural from sound alone.
Spelling changes before feminine -es
Replacing final -a with -es can change the spelling before the ending. The goal is to preserve the consonant value or the word family's orthography.
| Feminine singular | Feminine plural | Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| bonica | boniques | -ca → -ques |
| llarga | llargues | -ga → -gues |
| dolça | dolces | -ça → -ces |
| roja | roges | -ja → -ges |
| tranquil·la | tranquil·les | the middle dot remains |
Vam caminar per unes platges tranquil·les fins a dues cales roges i rocoses.
We walked along some quiet beaches to two red, rocky coves.
Les rutes més llargues passen per comarques molt boniques.
The longest routes pass through very beautiful counties.
These are not irregular agreement patterns. Bonica/boniques and llarga/llargues change spelling because plain c or g before e would normally signal a different consonant value. See plurals in -es for the parallel noun patterns.
Masculine plurals in -os
Several masculine adjectives ending in a sibilant or affricate take -os rather than bare -s. Common groups include stressed -s (gris/grisos), -ç (feliç/feliços), -x (fix/fixos), and -ix (baix/baixos). By contrast, a form already ending in -o, such as borratxo, simply adds plural -s: borratxos.
| Singular | Masculine plural | Feminine plural |
|---|---|---|
| gris/grisa | grisos | grises |
| gros/grossa | grossos | grosses |
| feliç | feliços | felices |
| baix/baixa | baixos | baixes |
Els sofàs grisos són grossos, però aquestes butaques grises caben bé al menjador.
The gray sofas are bulky, but these gray armchairs fit well in the dining room.
Spanish is misleading here: Spanish has masculine plural grises, but Catalan has grisos; Catalan grises is feminine plural. Closely related forms therefore cannot be transferred by sight.
Adjectives ending in -sc, -st, and -xt may have a shorter masculine plural in -s and an expanded one in -os: frescs/frescos, trists/tristos, mixts/mixtos. Both sets are standard where listed, and the expanded forms are especially transparent in speech. Do not alternate randomly within a tightly edited text; follow the established form of the variety or style guide you are using.
The three-form pattern in -ç
Adjectives in -ç are especially important because singular gender is invisible but plural gender is not:
El pare està feliç i la mare també està feliç; els fills estan feliços i les filles, felices.
The father is happy and the mother is happy too; the sons are happy and the daughters are happy.
The masculine plural changes ç to ç + os: feliços, capaços. The feminine plural uses c before e: felices, capaces. Forms such as feliçs and feliçes are impossible standard spellings.
Invariant uses and color words
Some words remain unchanged because they are lexically invariable or because they function as nouns in apposition. Gratis is invariable: entrades gratis. The noun estàndard is often used appositionally in phrases such as solucions estàndard, particularly in edited media style.
Color names derived from nouns can be treated in two ways. In apposition they remain unchanged: unes camises rosa, uns pantalons caqui. They can also be fully adjectival and agree: unes camises roses, uns pantalons caquis. Two-word color expressions used as units normally remain unchanged: unes cintes blau marí, uns vestits gris perla.
Per a l'espectacle han comprat camises rosa i cintes blau marí.
For the show they have bought pink shirts and navy-blue ribbons.
El catàleg anuncia «camises rosa», però la dependenta parla de les camises roses; totes dues construccions són possibles.
The catalog advertises ‘pink shirts,’ but the sales assistant refers to the pink shirts with an agreeing adjective; both constructions are possible.
This context-sensitive pair keeps the noun and color constant while changing the analysis: rosa can name a color beside the noun and remain invariable, while roses can function as a fully agreeing descriptive adjective. There is no need to force all color expressions into one pattern.
Agreement with coordinated nouns
When one postposed adjective describes two coordinated nouns, it is plural. If both nouns are feminine, the adjective is feminine plural; if both are masculine, it is masculine plural. With mixed genders, the traditional and still preferred unmarked form is masculine plural.
Hem revisat la proposta i l'esmena definitives abans de votar.
We reviewed the final proposal and amendment before voting.
El contracte i l'informe definitius ja són a la carpeta.
The final contract and report are already in the folder.
Han inaugurat un teatre i una biblioteca nous al barri.
They have opened a new theater and library in the neighborhood.
The last adjective refers to the combined set, not only to biblioteca, so singular nova would change the structure and suggest that only the library is new. Semantic unity can occasionally favor agreement with the nearest noun, especially in fixed or tightly linked expressions, but learners should use plural agreement when the adjective plainly describes every coordinated member. More complex cases appear under agreement at a distance.
Determiners, position, and regional forms
Plural is distributed across the entire noun phrase: aquelles dues propostes tècniques noves. The demonstrative identifies the referents, dues gives quantity, tècniques classifies the proposals, and noves describes them. Neutral descriptive adjectives normally follow the noun; copying English order produces phrases that sound marked or unnatural.
General statements often need the definite article where English uses a bare plural: Els cotxes elèctrics són silenciosos “Electric cars are quiet.” Plural endings do not themselves express generic reference.
Standard varieties share the plural adjective system, but neighboring determiners and possessives may differ: Central aquestes cases meves; (regional: Valencian) estes cases meues. Keep one coherent paradigm in a model phrase.
Common Mistakes
1. Leaving adjectives singular after a plural noun.
❌ Les finestres nova són massa estret.
Incorrect — both adjectives describe plural feminine nouns.
✅ Les finestres noves són massa estretes.
The new windows are too narrow.
2. Copying a Spanish plural.
❌ Han comprat dos abrics grises.
Incorrect — masculine plural gris is grisos in Catalan.
✅ Han comprat dos abrics grisos.
They have bought two gray coats.
3. Guessing gender from Spanish.
❌ Hem rebut dos senyals clares.
Incorrect — senyal is masculine in standard Catalan.
✅ Hem rebut dos senyals clars.
We received two clear signals.
4. Giving a mixed coordinated pair singular or nearest-noun agreement.
❌ Han obert un museu i una biblioteca nova.
Wrong if nova is intended to describe both places — singular agreement attaches it only to biblioteca.
✅ Han obert un museu i una biblioteca nous.
They have opened a new museum and library.
5. Copying English order and mixing regional paradigms.
❌ Estes meves noves sabates són còmodes.
Unnatural and regionally mixed — English-like adjective placement combines Valencian estes with Central meves.
✅ Aquestes sabates meves noves són còmodes.
These new shoes of mine are comfortable. Central standard baseline.
Key Takeaways
Use -s for many masculine and gender-invariable forms, replace feminine -a with -es, and learn the masculine -os groups. Preserve spelling in boniques, llargues, and tranquil·les. Check whether a color term is agreeing or appositional, and make a shared adjective plural when it describes coordinated nouns.
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Start learning Catalan →Related Topics
- Adjective AgreementA1 — Learn how Catalan adjectives match a noun in gender and number, including four-form, two-form, and common spelling patterns.
- Regular Masculine and Feminine FormsA1 — Build Catalan adjective gender forms, including consonant-to-a, o-to-a, unchanged endings, and spelling-preserving alternations.
- Regular Plurals in -sA1 — Form straightforward Catalan plurals with -s after common consonants and vowels, while keeping determiners and adjectives in agreement.
- Plurals in -esA1 — Form Catalan plurals in -es from nouns ending in unstressed -a and -e, including the spelling changes that preserve consonant sounds.
- Complex Noun-Phrase AgreementB2 — Master agreement across coordinated nouns, mixed genders, intervening complements, and collective heads in complex Catalan noun phrases.
- Agreement with Mixed-Gender and Inclusive GroupsC1 — Handle adjective agreement in mixed-gender groups and choose clear inclusive wording for contemporary Catalan.