CEFR A1

    Basic Adjectives

    Learn simple words that describe people, places, and things. Practice how to use them before a noun and after verbs like is.

    Learn Basic Adjectives

    What You Will Learn

    Adjectives are describing words. Learn words like big, small, happy, sad.

    Learn words for size: big, small
    Learn words for feelings: happy, sad
    Learn words for colors: red, blue
    Learn where to put adjectives in sentences

    What Are Adjectives?

    Adjectives come BEFORE the noun they describe.

    a small cata kind teachera beautiful citylong hair

    Pattern

    article + adjective + noun → a tall man, the old house, an interesting book

    Adjectives are describing words. They tell us about people, places, and things.

    Examples

    a big house

    a red car

    a happy boy

    More Examples

    The house is big

    The car is red

    The boy is happy

    The Lost Dog

    I see a small, sad dog in the park.

    He has brown fur and big ears.

    I give him some fresh water and good food.

    Now he is a happy dog!

    "Adjectives make our stories better!"

    Good News!

    Adjectives in English are easy. They never change.

    one big house → two big houses

    a happy child → happy children

    Where to Put Adjectives

    Adjectives can go in two places in a sentence.

    Before the Noun

    a new phone

    a friendly dog

    a beautiful beach

    After 'be' verbs

    The coffee is hot

    I am tired

    They are happy

    Try It

    Complete these sentences:

    1. "I have a/an __________ phone." (new, old)

    2. "My friend is __________." (happy, kind)

    3. "The car is __________." (red, big)

    Check your answers

    1. "I have a new phone." or "I have an old phone."

    2. "My friend is happy." or "My friend is kind."

    3. "The car is red." or "The car is big."

    Basic Adjective Groups

    Learn these useful adjectives.

    Size Words

    big
    small
    long
    short
    "I live in a small house."

    Color Words

    red
    blue
    green
    yellow
    "She has blue eyes."

    Feeling Words

    Good Feelings

    happy

    good

    excited

    Bad Feelings

    sad

    tired

    bad

    "I am happy today."

    Want to try a Basic Adjectives quiz?

    Practice with multiple choice questions

    Using Two Adjectives

    You can use two adjectives together.

    The Simple Native Speaker Secret

    Native speakers follow this natural order without thinking about it:

    Size
    Age
    Color
    Noun

    a big old green house

    a small new black phone

    Notice how this sounds natural compared to "a green big old house"

    Good Examples

    a small black cat
    a big red car
    a beautiful old house

    Common Mistakes

    ❌ a black small cat

    ❌ a red big car

    Ready to test your Basic Adjectives knowledge?

    Challenge yourself with fill-in-the-blank exercises

    Common Mistakes

    ❌ I have a car red.

    ✓ I have a red car.

    ❌ I have two bigs dogs.

    ✓ I have two big dogs.

    ❌ I am very much happy.

    ✓ I am very happy.

    ❌ She has black long hair.

    ✓ She has long black hair.

    Master Basic Adjectives sentence building!

    Drag and drop words to form correct sentences

    Practice Tips

    Learn word pairs: big/small, happy/sad, hot/cold
    Describe things around you every day
    Practice with the speaking exercises
    Don't worry about mistakes - just practice!

    Speaking Practice

    To practice your pronunciation, listen to the native speaker audio first. Then 'Record' yourself repeating what you heard, then use the 'Playback' button to compare your pronunciation with the native speaker. If you want to record yourself again, simply click 'Delete'!

    I have a small, white cat.

    My teacher is very kind and patient.

    This is a beautiful, old city.

    The food is tasty and cheap.

    She has long, black hair.

    His red car is very fast.

    My new shoes are big and comfortable.

    The room is clean and quiet.

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