Catalan adjectives do not all form the feminine in the same way. Many add -a to a consonant, some replace final -o or -e with -a, and others use exactly the same singular form for both genders. The noun determines which gender form is required; the adjective's own paradigm determines what that form looks like.
English adjectives are normally invariable, so “quiet” gives no visible clue about its noun. Catalan distributes the information across the phrase: aquest carrer tranquil but aquesta plaça tranquil·la. Learning that interaction is more reliable than translating one isolated word at a time.
The main four-form pattern
An adjective ending in a consonant often adds -a in the feminine singular. Its plurals then add -s to the masculine form and replace feminine -a with -es.
| Gender and number | clar | Phrase |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine singular | clar | un missatge clar |
| Feminine singular | clara | una resposta clara |
| Masculine plural | clars | uns missatges clars |
| Feminine plural | clares | unes respostes clares |
M'han donat un mapa clar i unes instruccions molt clares.
They've given me a clear map and very clear instructions.
Aquestes dues habitacions petites són lluminoses i tranquil·les.
These two small rooms are bright and quiet.
The second sentence shows agreement on several words: aquestes, dues, habitacions, petites, lluminoses, and tranquil·les form one feminine plural chain. The numeral dues marks gender, while each variable adjective independently agrees with habitacions.
Frequent four-form patterns include alt/alta, petit/petita, rodó/rodona, and català/catalana. The last two also show why “add -a” is only a shorthand: a stem consonant reappears in the feminine. Accent marks are recalculated from the pronunciation of each form: català is stressed finally and needs an accent, but catalana follows the ordinary stress rule and does not.
Final -o and -e
Several common adjectives in -o replace that vowel with -a: borratxo/borratxa, flonjo/flonja, guerxo/guerxa. This pattern is regular for the words that belong to it, but final -o is much less widespread in Catalan than in Spanish.
El coixí nou és massa flonjo, però la butaca nova és força còmoda.
The new cushion is too soft, but the new armchair is quite comfortable.
Després del sopar, un client borratxo va començar a cridar i una turista borratxa va sortir al carrer.
After dinner, a drunk customer started shouting and a drunk tourist went outside.
Some adjectives in unstressed -e replace it with -a: negre/negra, ample/ampla, tendre/tendra. Their plural has just one written form for both genders: negres, amples, tendres. Thus visible gender contrast can disappear in the plural even though grammatical agreement remains.
Busquem un pis ample amb una cuina ampla i finestres grans.
We're looking for a spacious apartment with a spacious kitchen and large windows.
Do not generalize from ample/ampla to every adjective in -e. Many -e adjectives are gender-invariable: amable, jove, lliure, alegre. There is no fully dependable ending-based test; the paradigm is lexical and must be learned.
Gender-invariable singular forms
One-form adjectives use the same singular form with masculine and feminine nouns, although they normally still mark plural number.
| Common ending | Singular, both genders | Plural, both genders |
|---|---|---|
| -e | un veí amable / una veïna amable | veïns amables / veïnes amables |
| -al | un canvi radical / una reforma radical | canvis radicals / reformes radicals |
| -ar | un paisatge familiar / una veu familiar | paisatges familiars / veus familiars |
| -il | un examen difícil / una prova difícil | exàmens difícils / proves difícils |
| -ant/-ent | un final sorprenent / una notícia sorprenent | finals sorprenents / notícies sorprenents |
La nova responsable és amable, pacient i molt professional.
The new manager is kind, patient, and very professional.
These forms are not “unagreed.” Their paradigm simply has no gender contrast. Compare la responsable nova, where nova visibly marks feminine, with la responsable amable, where amable is compatible with either gender.
The ending tendencies have exceptions. Tranquil has feminine tranquil·la; anòmal has anòmala; and anglòfil has anglòfila, despite the common one-form behavior of many adjectives in -al and -il. There is no honest shortcut that eliminates learning these frequent exceptions.
Spelling keeps the family recognizable
Gender formation may trigger a spelling alternation because the following a changes the environment of the final consonant.
| Masculine | Feminine | What to notice |
|---|---|---|
| bonic | bonica | c keeps its hard value before a |
| llarg | llarga | g is written directly before a |
| tranquil | tranquil·la | the middle dot marks two separate l sounds |
| fresc | fresca | the consonant cluster remains |
| blau | blava | the stem alternates u/v |
| nou | nova | the same frequent u/v alternation |
La Laia duu una jaqueta blava nova, i en Pol, un abric blau vell.
Laia is wearing a new blue jacket, and Pol an old blue coat.
The middle dot in tranquil·la is obligatory. Writing tranquilla would use the digraph ll and represent a different consonant; writing tranquila would erase one of the two consonants. See the middle dot for the general spelling rule.
The special pattern in -ç
Adjectives such as feliç, capaç, and audaç use one form for both genders in the singular, but split in the plural: masculine feliços, capaços, audaços and feminine felices, capaces, audaces.
El noi sembla feliç, la noia també sembla feliç, però avui els avis estan especialment feliços i les àvies, felices.
The boy seems happy, the girl also seems happy, but today the grandfathers are especially happy and the grandmothers are happy too.
This is a three-form pattern, not an exception to agreement. Singular gender is grammatically present but has no distinct ending; plural gender becomes visible.
Position does not switch agreement off
An adjective agrees whether it follows the noun, precedes it, or appears after ser, estar, or another linking verb.
És una gran científica i ha publicat uns articles científics molt clars.
She is a great scientist and has published some very clear scientific articles.
El carrer és estret, la plaça és estreta i les voreres són encara més estretes.
The street is narrow, the square is narrow, and the sidewalks are even narrower.
Position may affect meaning—una gran dona “a great woman” versus una dona gran “an older woman”—but gran happens to have the same singular form for both genders. With a variable adjective, its form continues to follow the noun: un pobre home, una pobra dona. The adjective position page explains the meaning contrast.
Cognates, articles, and regional consistency
Closely related languages can mislead. Spanish singular gris is gender-invariable, but Catalan has gris/grisa: un jersei gris, una faldilla grisa. Likewise, noun gender can differ: Catalan la dent is feminine, so “the gray tooth” is la dent grisa.
Catalan also often uses a definite article for general classes: Les cases passives són cares de mantenir “Passive houses are expensive to maintain.” English has no article there, but the Catalan article, noun, and adjective form one agreeing phrase.
The adjective paradigms on this page belong to the shared standard. Regional determiners and possessives can differ: Central aquesta jaqueta meva and (regional: Valencian) esta jaqueta meua are internally consistent. Avoid an accidental hybrid such as esta jaqueta meva when the goal is a single-variety model.
Common Mistakes
1. Copying English invariability.
❌ La porta és estret i les finestres són estret.
Incorrect — the adjective must agree with feminine singular porta and feminine plural finestres.
✅ La porta és estreta i les finestres són estretes.
The door is narrow, and the windows are narrow.
2. Adding -a to every adjective.
❌ La teva cosina sembla amabla i alegra.
Incorrect — amable and alegre are gender-invariable in the singular.
✅ La teva cosina sembla amable i alegre.
Your cousin seems kind and cheerful.
3. Guessing from Spanish or from the ending alone.
❌ Necessito una americana gris per a la festa.
Incorrect — Catalan gris has the feminine form grisa.
✅ Necessito una americana grisa per a la festa.
I need a gray blazer for the party.
4. Putting every modifier before the noun.
❌ Han llogat una lluminosa tranquil·la habitació.
Unnatural neutral order — ordinary descriptive adjectives normally follow the noun.
✅ Han llogat una habitació lluminosa i tranquil·la.
They have rented a bright, quiet room.
5. Mixing regional paradigms inside one phrase.
❌ Esta casa meva és menuda.
Inconsistent as a single-variety model — esta is Valencian, while meva is Central.
✅ Aquesta casa meva és petita.
This house of mine is small. Central standard baseline.
Key Takeaways
Frequent adjectives build feminine -a from a consonant or replace -o/-e with -a, but many others use one singular form for both genders. Learn exceptions such as tranquil/tranquil·la and three-form feliç/feliços/felices as paradigms. Agreement follows the noun through the entire phrase, while spelling, position, and regional determiner choices contribute separate information.
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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.
- Adjective PluralsA1 — Form Catalan adjective plurals with -s, -es, and -os, including spelling changes, invariant colors, and coordinated-noun agreement.
- Adjective Position Before and After the NounB1 — Choose Catalan adjective position by distinguishing neutral description, classification, evaluation, fixed orders, and information structure.
- Masculine and Feminine NounsA1 — Learn how Catalan noun gender controls articles, determiners, and adjectives, and why gender cannot be reduced to natural sex or English translation.
- The Middle Dot in L·LA2 — Write the Catalan ela geminada accurately, distinguish l·l from ll, and use word families to remember where it belongs.
- Complex Noun-Phrase AgreementB2 — Master agreement across coordinated nouns, mixed genders, intervening complements, and collective heads in complex Catalan noun phrases.