How Modify French Nouns With Adjectives (Adjectifs)

An adjective is a word that modifies a noun by describing it in some way: shape, color, size, nationality, etc. Differences Between French and English Adjectives French adjectives are very different from English adjectives in two ways: French adjectives change to agree in gender and number with the nouns that they modify, which means there can be up to four forms of each adjective:   Adjective: pretty joli Masculine singular joli Feminine singular jolie Masculine plural jolis Feminine plural jolies In English, adjectives are always found in front of the noun, but most French adjectives follow the noun they modify:​ green book un livre vert smart teacher un professeur intelligent But there are some French adjectives that precede the noun: handsome boy un beau garon small glass un petit verre Agreement of Regular French Adjectives (Accord des adjectifs rà ©guliers) French adjectives change to agree in gender and number with the nouns that they modify, which means there can be up to four forms of each adjective. The different forms for adjectives depend mostly on the final letter(s) of the default form of the adjective, which is the masculine singular. Most French adjectives add E for feminine and S for plural. This rule applies to adjectives that end in most consonants as well as all vowels except the unaccented E. It also includes all regular and most irregular  present participles  and  past participles: Adjective: green vert Masculine singular vert Feminine singular verte Masculine plural verts Feminine plural vertes Adjective: blue bleu Masculine singular bleu Feminine singular bleue Masculine plural bleus Feminine plural bleues Adjective: funny amusant Masculine singular amusant Feminine singular amusante Masculine plural amusants Feminine plural amusantes Adjective: spicy pic Masculine singular pic Feminine singular pice Masculine plural pics Feminine plural pices When the masculine singular adjective ends in an unaccented E, there is no difference between the masculine and  feminine forms: Adjective: red rouge Masculine singular rouge Feminine singular rouge Masculine plural rouges Feminine plural rouges When the default form of the adjective ends in S or X, there is no difference between the masculine singular and  plural forms: Adjective: grey gris Masculine singular gris Feminine singular grise Masculine plural gris Feminine plural grises While most French adjectives fit into one of the above categories, there are still quite a few that have irregular feminine and/or plural forms. Note:  These rules are the same for  making nouns feminine and plural. Agreement of Irregular French Adjectives Most French adjectives are regular, but there are a number of irregular adjectives, based on the final letter(s) of the masculine singular adjective. Adjectives that end in a vowel plus L or N usually become feminine by doubling the consonant before adding E. Ending: el elle Adjective: personal personnel Masculine singular personnel Feminine singular personnelle Masculine plural personnels Feminine plural personnelles Ending: on onne Adjective: good bon Masculine singular bon Feminine singular bonne Masculine plural bons Feminine plural bonnes Adjectives that end in  er  or  et  need a  grave accent: Ending: er re Adjective: expensive cher Masculine singular cher Feminine singular chre Masculine plural chers Feminine plural chres Ending: et te Adjective: full complet Masculine singular complet Feminine singular complte Masculine plural complets Feminine plural compltes Other final letters lead to very irregular feminine endings: Ending: c che Adjective: white blanc Masculine singular blanc Feminine singular blanche Masculine plural blancs Feminine plural blanches Ending: eur euse Adjective: flattering flatteur Masculine singular flatteur Feminine singular flatteuse Masculine plural flatteurs Feminine plural flatteuses Ending: eux euse Adjective: happy heureux Masculine singular heureux Feminine singular heureuse Masculine plural heureux Feminine plural heureuses Ending: f ve Adjective: new neuf Masculine singular neuf Feminine singular neuve Masculine plural neufs Feminine plural neuves Irregular plurals: The ending  al  changes to  aux  in the plural: Adjective: ideal idal Masculine singular idal Feminine singular idale Masculine plural idaux Feminine plural idales Note: Most of the above rules are the same for  making nouns feminine and plural. Irregular French adjectives There are several French adjectives which have irregular feminine and plural forms, as well as a  special form  when they are placed in front of a masculine noun that begins with a vowel or a  mute H: a handsome man un bel homme an old friend un vieil ami Adjective Singular masc vowel/H Singular fem Plural masc Plural fem beautiful beau bel belle beaux belles new nouveau nouvel nouvelle nouveaux nouvelles crazy fou fol folle fous folles soft mou mol molle mous molles old vieux vieil vieille vieux vieilles Position of French Adjectives In English, adjectives virtually always precede the nouns they modify: a blue car, a big house. In French, adjectives may be placed before or after the noun, depending on their type and meaning. This concept can be aggravating for French learners, but with patience and practice youll be able to describe any object like a natural. The following explanations should cover about 95% of adjectives, but, alas, there are always some exceptions. Placement After the Noun Most  descriptive adjectives  are placed after the noun they modify. These normally have an analytical meaning, in that they classify the noun into a certain category. These types of adjectives include shape,  color, taste,  nationality, religion, social class, and other adjectives that describe things like  personality  and  mood. round table une table ronde black book un livre noir sweet tea du th sucr American woman une femme amricaine Catholic church une glise catholique middle-class family une famille bourgeoise In addition,  present participles  and  past participles  used as adjectives are always placed after the noun. interesting story une histoire intressante lively debate un dbat passionn      Placement Before the Noun Certain adjectives are placed before the noun, some which you can memorize with the acronym BAGS: B Beauty A Age G Good and bad S Size (except for grande with people, see below) These descriptors—and a few others—are considered inherent qualities of the noun: pretty girl une jolie fille young man un jeune homme new house une nouvelle maison good child un bon enfant small problem un petit problme sincere condolences les sincres condolances vague promises les vagues promesses kind boy un gentil garon In addition, all non-descriptive (i.e.  demonstrative,  indefinite,  interrogative,  negative, and  possessive) adjectives are placed before the noun: these books ces livres each person chaque personne which pen? quel stylo ? no woman aucune femme my child mon enfant Placement Depends on Meaning Some adjectives have both a figurative and an analytic (literal) sense and can thus be placed on either side of the noun. When the adjective is figurative, it goes before the noun, and when its analytic, it goes after the noun. Figurative: my green (fruitful) years mes vertes annes Literal: green vegetables des lgumes verts Figurative: a great man un grand homme Literal: a tall man un homme grand Figurative: a sad (mean or bad) person un triste individu Literal: a sad (crying) person un individu triste Figurative: my old (former) school mon ancienne cole Literal: my old (aged) school mon cole ancienne Figurative: a certain (type of) look un certain regard Literal: a certain (assured) victory une victoire certaine