Spanish Adjectives You Already Know: The “-BLE → -BLE” Pattern

Here’s a confidence booster: many English adjectives ending in -ble have an extremely close Spanish twin ending in -ble too. This is one of the easiest “high‑ROI” vocabulary patterns because it gives you useful adjectives you’ll actually use when describing people, plans, problems, and opinions.

In this guide you’ll learn:

• The -ble → -ble cognate rule (and when it’s most reliable)
• The small pronunciation/spelling details that matter (like accents)
• How to use these adjectives correctly with agreement
• A large set of high‑frequency examples
• Practice drills that turn recognition into real speaking ability

The Rule (simple, powerful)

In many cases:

English -ble → Spanish -ble

Examples:

• possible → posible
• terrible → terrible
• flexible → flexible
• incredible → increíble

This works because many of these words come from the same Latin roots in both languages.

Learning tip: If you can recognize the word while reading, you’ve already won half the battle. The next step is learning a few sentence templates so you can produce it naturally.

How “-ble” adjectives behave in Spanish (agreement)

Most -ble adjectives are invariable for gender (same form for masculine and feminine):

• un plan posible (a possible plan)
• una idea posible (a possible idea)

They do change in the plural:

• planes posibles
• ideas posibles

So the grammar is straightforward: same for gender, add -s for plural.

High‑frequency “-ble” cognates (with notes)

Important: not every English -ble word is a perfect twin

Spanish sometimes prefers a different everyday adjective:

• comfortable → cómodo (very common) / confortable (also used)
• available → disponible (still ends in -ble, but different root)
• valuable → valioso

Use the -ble pattern as a smart guess, then confirm with context.

️ Pronunciation tips (make it sound natural)

1) The “b/v” detail

In most Spanish accents, b and v sound very similar. Between vowels, they often soften (more like a gentle “b”). This makes words like visible and responsable easier than you might expect.

2) Accents tell you the stress

Most -ble words don’t need an accent mark, but some do:

• increíble

If you see an accent, it’s your pronunciation map.

“Use it today” sentence templates

Instead of memorizing a list, memorize a few sentence frames:

• Es posible que… (It’s possible that…)
• Es probable que… (It’s probable that…)
• No es aceptable. (It’s not acceptable.)
• Es inevitable. (It’s inevitable.)
• Soy responsable de… (I’m responsible for…)

Examples:

• Es posible que lleguemos tarde. (It’s possible we’ll arrive late.)
• Es probable que llueva. (It’s likely it will rain.)
• Eso no es aceptable. (That’s not acceptable.)
• La situación es terrible. (The situation is terrible.)
• Soy responsable del proyecto. (I’m responsible for the project.)

Practice (speed over perfection)

7‑day micro‑plan (5 minutes/day)

1. Day 1: Pick 10 -ble adjectives and read them out loud twice.
2. Day 2: Write 5 sentences with es posible que… / es probable que…
3. Day 3: Learn 5 opposites (posible/imposible, visible/invisible…).
4. Day 4: Describe your day using 5 adjectives in context.
5. Day 5: Translate 10 English adjectives into Spanish quickly.
6. Day 6: Read a Spanish article and highlight every -ble word.
7. Day 7: Record a 30‑second voice note using at least 5 of them.

Quick FAQ

️ Common mistakes (and how to avoid them)

1. Forgetting the plural -s
   It’s easy to say posible correctly and then forget that plural needs an -s:

• dos planes posibles
• tres opciones aceptables

2. Over‑guessing when Spanish prefers a different everyday word
   Some English -ble words do exist in Spanish, but the most natural choice in conversation may be a different adjective:

• comfortable → cómodo is often the first choice
• valuable → valioso is far more common than a literal -ble guess

3. Using a cognate without context
   Even perfect cognates can feel “too formal” in casual speech. If you’re chatting with friends, try simple alternatives too (e.g., bueno, malo, genial, raro) and keep -ble adjectives for when they fit.

Do -ble adjectives change for gender?

Usually no. You can say un plan posible and una idea posible. They do change for plural: posibles.

Is it always safe to guess -ble?

Often, but not always. Spanish sometimes prefers a different common word (comfortable → cómodo, valuable → valioso). Treat the pattern as a strong first guess.

Takeaway

Any time you see -ble in English, try the Spanish -ble twin. You’ll unlock dozens of adjectives quickly—and because they’re common, you’ll start noticing them everywhere.