Adjectives: Opposites 1

Opposites that are completely different words — Many adjective pairs share no root at all: bueno ↔ malo, grande ↔ pequeño, largo ↔ corto, joven ↔ viejo, rico ↔ pobre, fuerte ↔ débil. These must simply be memorised — but learning them in pairs doubles your vocabulary in one go.

Prefix opposites: in- / im- / des- — A number of Spanish adjectives form their opposite with a prefix: feliz → infeliz, posible → imposible, seguro → inseguro, ordenado → desordenado, conocido → desconocido. The prefix follows the same rules as in English: im- before p/b, in- elsewhere.

Opposite adjectives still agree — Even when you flip an adjective to its opposite, agreement rules still apply — match the new adjective to the noun's gender and number: un hombre joven → un hombre viejo; unas casas grandes → unas casas pequeñas.