↔️ Opposites - Opuestos

Aa ⏱ ≈ 16 minutes

Beginner Spanish · Opposites and descriptions

Common Opposites in Spanish

Opposites give you two useful words for the price of one idea. Learn a small set of contrasting adjectives, then use them to compare people, places, objects, and everyday situations.

Your next small win: recognize common opposite pairs, compare two things with pero, and choose the right adjective form for the noun you are describing.

Start with six pairs

Essential Opposites

Learn these as pairs. Hearing one word can help you remember the other.

grande / pequeño Big / small Pequeño can change to pequeña.
bueno / malo Good / bad These can also appear as buena and mala.
feliz / triste Happy / sad
rápido / lento Fast / slow These can change to rápida and lenta.
fácil / difícil Easy / difficult
fuerte / débil Strong / weak

Say the opposite

If grande means “big,” what word could you use for “small”?

More opposite pairs
largo / corto Long / short
nuevo / viejo New / old
alto / bajo High or tall / low or short
abierto / cerrado Open / closed
limpio / sucio Clean / dirty
cerca / lejos Near / far

Put both sides in one sentence

Comparing with Pero

The word pero means “but.” It gives you an easy way to put two contrasting descriptions together.

Useful pattern: A es + adjective, pero B es + opposite adjective.

La casa es grande, pero el apartamento es pequeño. The house is big, but the apartment is small.
Este ejercicio es fácil, pero el siguiente es difícil. This exercise is easy, but the next one is difficult.
Este coche es rápido, pero aquel es lento. This car is fast, but that one is slow.
Mi coche es viejo, pero el tuyo es nuevo. My car is old, but yours is new.

Build a contrast

Say that one exercise is easy, but another is difficult.

More contrasts to practice
La puerta está abierta, pero la ventana está cerrada. The door is open, but the window is closed.
El hotel está cerca, pero el aeropuerto está lejos. The hotel is nearby, but the airport is far away.
La cocina está limpia, pero el garaje está sucio. The kitchen is clean, but the garage is dirty.
Hoy estoy feliz, pero ayer estaba triste. Today I am happy, but yesterday I was sad.
Esta calle es larga y aquella es corta. This street is long, and that one is short.

Make the adjective fit

Adjective Agreement

Many of these opposite words are adjectives. Some change their ending to match the noun they describe.

el coche pequeño The small car Masculine singular uses pequeño.
la casa pequeña The small house Feminine singular uses pequeña.
las casas pequeñas The small houses The adjective also becomes plural.

Not every adjective changes for gender: words such as grande, fácil, difícil, fuerte, and débil use the same singular form with masculine and feminine nouns.

El perro es fuerte. The dog is strong.
La mujer es fuerte. The woman is strong.

Make small match casa

The noun casa is feminine. Complete la casa... with the correct form of “small.”

One idea, two kinds of sentences

Hot and Cold

Spanish talks about hot and cold differently depending on whether you mean the weather or the temperature of a thing.

Talking about weather

Hace calor. It is hot. Use this when talking about hot weather.
Hace frío. It is cold. Use this when talking about cold weather.

Describing a thing

El café está caliente. The coffee is hot.
La bebida está fría. The drink is cold. Fría agrees with the feminine noun bebida.

Keep the situations separate: use hace calor and hace frío for weather. Use adjectives such as caliente and frío / fría to describe the temperature of something.

Weather or drink?

You are holding a cold drink. Say “The drink is cold.”

Hear the contrast in context

Everyday Conversations

Opposites become easier to remember when one person asks and the other gives the contrasting answer.

Shopping

A
¿Es grande la camiseta? Is the T-shirt big?
B
No, es bastante pequeña. No, it is quite small.

School

A
¿Es difícil el examen? Is the exam difficult?
B
No, es bastante fácil. No, it is quite easy.

Weather

A
¿Hace frío afuera? Is it cold outside?
B
No, hace mucho calor. No, it is very hot.

Your turn · 8 quick questions

Practice: Common Opposites

Choose the opposite or description that fits each situation. The questions focus on the main pairs and agreement patterns from the lesson.

Audio uses your device's Spanish text-to-speech voice. Listen to each pair or sentence, then try saying it yourself.