The “-OUS → -OSO” Adjective Hack for Spanish
Want a simple way to instantly recognize hundreds of Spanish adjectives?
Then meet one of the easiest and most powerful language hacks:
️ English “-ous” → Spanish “-oso”
That’s it.
By learning this one pattern, you’ll unlock words like famous → famoso, curious → curioso, delicious → delicioso, and nervous → nervioso.
Let’s dive into how it works
The Rule
When an English adjective ends in “-ous”, it often becomes “-oso” (or “-osa” for feminine) in Spanish.
Examples:
- famous → famoso / famosa
- delicious → delicioso / deliciosa
- curious → curioso / curiosa
- nervous → nervioso / nerviosa
These pairs are almost identical — just with a small twist in pronunciation and spelling!
️ Why It Works
Both English and Spanish borrowed these adjectives from Latin, where many of them ended in “-osus” — meaning “full of” or “having the quality of.”
So:
- curiosus → curious (English) → curioso (Spanish)
- deliciosus → delicious → delicioso
That’s why so many of these adjectives look and sound similar across both languages.
You’re not memorizing — you’re recognizing patterns that already exist in the language’s DNA!
20 Common Examples
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| famous | famoso / famosa |
| delicious | delicioso / deliciosa |
| curious | curioso / curiosa |
| nervous | nervioso / nerviosa |
| dangerous | peligroso / peligrosa |
| generous | generoso / generosa |
| mysterious | misterioso / misteriosa |
| ambitious | ambicioso / ambiciosa |
| precious | precioso / preciosa |
| glorious | glorioso / gloriosa |
| marvelous | maravilloso / maravillosa |
| furious | furioso / furiosa |
| religious | religioso / religiosa |
| poisonous | venenoso / venenosa |
| contagious | contagioso / contagiosa |
| jealous | celoso / celosa |
| anxious | ansioso / ansiosa |
| continuous | continuo / continua |
| spontaneous | espontáneo / espontánea |
| adventurous | aventurero / aventurera (slightly different ending) |
Practice Time
Try converting the following adjectives into Spanish using the “-ous → -oso” pattern.
️ Small Exceptions
Like all language patterns, this one has a few exceptions.
Some English “-ous” adjectives don’t follow the rule directly:
| English | Spanish | Note |
|---|---|---|
| serious | serio | shorter form |
| obvious | obvio | ends in -io |
| continuous | continuo | ends in -uo |
| various | varios | simpler form |
But don’t worry — these are easy to recognize and still resemble their English counterparts closely.
Gender & Agreement Tip
In Spanish, adjectives agree with the gender and number of the noun:
- Feminine: delicioso → deliciosa
- Plural: deliciosos / deliciosas
Example:
- El pastel delicioso → the delicious cake
- La comida deliciosa → the delicious food ️
Grammar: gender and number agreement
Unlike many English adjectives, Spanish adjectives change to match the noun:
- masculine singular: -oso (famoso)
- feminine singular: -osa (famosa)
- masculine plural: -osos (famosos)
- feminine plural: -osas (famosas)
Examples:
- un actor famoso / una actriz famosa
- unos lugares famosos / unas personas famosas
If you learn the masculine form, you can generate the others automatically.
A very common variation: “-ous” → “-ioso”
Many English “-ous” adjectives map to Spanish adjectives ending in -ioso/-iosa:
- nervous → nervioso
- curious → curioso
- serious → serio (different; common exception)
Don’t treat this as a separate rule. Think of it as the same family: Spanish often uses -oso or -ioso for “full of / having the quality of.”
️ Use‑it‑today sentence templates
These frames let you use -oso words immediately:
- Es muy + adjective. (It’s very…)
- Estoy + adjective. (I’m …)
- Me parece + adjective. (It seems … to me.)
Examples:
- Este lugar es famoso. (This place is famous.)
- La comida está deliciosa. (The food is delicious.)
- Estoy nervioso hoy. (I’m nervous today.)
- Es curioso. (It’s curious/interesting.)
Learning tip: choose 3 adjectives you actually need (e.g., nervioso, curioso, famoso) and use them in a sentence every day for a week.
Extra practice
7‑day micro‑plan (5 minutes/day)
- Day 1: Learn 10 -oso/-osa adjectives (say them out loud).
- Day 2: Write 5 sentences using es muy….
- Day 3: Practice agreement (famoso/famosa/famosos/famosas).
- Day 4: Read a Spanish article and highlight every -oso/-iosa word.
- Day 5: Speak: describe 5 people/places using -oso adjectives.
- Day 6: Review and keep the ones you actually use.
- Day 7: Test: translate 15 English “-ous” adjectives into Spanish quickly.
The Takeaway
Whenever you see an English adjective ending in “-ous,” try turning it into “-oso” (or “-osa”) — and you’ll probably be right!
This hack alone gives you hundreds of instant Spanish words, from famoso to curioso to maravilloso.
It’s one of those “cheat codes” that make learning feel like magic — and exactly what LingoBingo is all about.
Next step:
Keep your momentum going with the next lesson — The “-IST → -ISTA” Pattern for Spanish Professions!
Or test your knowledge now in the full interactive game at lingobingo.app.
Quick FAQ
Do I need to memorize both -oso and -osa?
Start with the masculine form (often listed in dictionaries), then apply agreement:
- famoso → famosa
- nervioso → nerviosa
Is it always “-ous → -oso”?
No—there are exceptions and alternative patterns (serious → serio, obvious → obvio). Use it as a strong default, then double-check when something feels off.
Can I say La comida es deliciosa or La comida está deliciosa?
Both exist, but está deliciosa is the most natural way to say “it tastes delicious” in a specific moment.