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Adjectifs
One of the eight parts of speech, adjectives are a type of modifier; that is, they modify or describe nouns in a certain way, letting you know the size, shape, weight, color, nationality, or any of a myriad other possible qualities of nouns.
Adjectives serve the same purpose in French and English, but they are very different in two other respects.
Characteristics of French Adjectives
- Modify nouns
- Must agree in gender and number with nouns
- Usually follow nouns
- May be modified by adverbs
1. Gender and Number of French Adjectives
English adjectives have a single form, but in French, they can have up to 4* forms, according to the gender and number of the nouns they modify:
| masculine singular | masculine plural | |
| feminine singular | feminine plural |
Masculine singular is the default form, to which the feminine and/or plural endings are added. For regular adjectives,** these endings are e for feminine and s for plural.
Par exemple…
petit (small)
| le petit verre | les petits verres | |
| la petite tasse | les petites tasses |
When the default form of the adjective ends in s or x, the masculine singular and plural forms are the same.
Par exemple…
surpris (surprised)
| Il est surpris. | Ils sont surpris. | |
| Elle est surprise. | Elles sont surprises. |
When the default form of the adjective ends in a, e, or o, the masculine and feminine forms are the same.
Par exemple…
calme (calm)
| un homme calme | des hommes calmes | |
| une femme calme | des femmes calmes |
*There are a few adjectives that have 5 forms.
**All regular and most irregular present participles and past participles follow these rules.
| Quiz: Adjective agreement |
2. Placement of French Adjectives
While English adjectives are always placed in front of the nouns they describe, most French adjectives follow nouns:
Par exemple…
| le stylo bleu | the blue pen | |
| une histoire intéressante | an interesting story |
| Beauty | une belle fille un joli appartement |
a beautiful girl a nice apartment |
| Age | un jeune homme une vieille dame |
a young man an old woman |
| Good and bad | une bonne idée un mauvais restaurant |
a good idea a bad restaurant |
| Size | un grand livre une petite maison |
a big book a small house |
Also see Adjectives that change meaning depending on their placement
- Introduction to adjectives
- Irregular feminine forms
- Irregular plurals
- Irregular adjectives (beau, fou, mou, nouveau, vieux)
- Adjectives with prepositions
- Adjectives functioning as adverbs
- Invariable adjectives
- Movable adjectives
- Non-adjectives
- Types of adjectives
- PwLF super list of adjective lessons
- Impersonal expressions: Il est / C’est + adjective
- Determiners
- Introduction to nouns
- Parts of speech
French lesson plans
- Beach Time: Color Adjectives (Worksheet, 4th-1th grade)
- Describing Family (Lesson, 1st-6th grade)
- La Graphologie (Lesson, 9th-12th grade)
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