Adjectives
Agreement, and before or after the noun.
Adjectives agree with their noun in gender and number. Most go after the noun; a few short, common ones go before.
Agreement
The usual feminine adds -e, and the plural adds -s.
| Masculine | Feminine | |
|---|---|---|
| singular | un petit chat | une petite maison |
| plural | des petits chats | des petites maisons |
The endings are silent, but the feminine -e makes a final consonant heard: petit ends in the vowel, petite in t; grand, grande; français, française. An adjective already ending in -e doesn't change for the feminine: rouge, jeune, facile, rapide.
Other feminine endings
| Masculine | Feminine | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -eux | -euse | heureux, heureuse |
| -if | -ive | sportif, sportive |
| -er | -ère | cher, chère |
| -on, -ien | -onne, -ienne | bon, bonne; italien, italienne |
| -el | -elle | naturel, naturelle |
| -c | -che or -que | blanc, blanche; public, publique |
Some are irregular: long, longue; doux, douce; frais, fraîche; gentil, gentille; fou, folle. And three have a second masculine form before a vowel:
un bel homme, un nouvel ami, un vieil arbre.
Before or after the noun
Most adjectives follow the noun: une voiture rouge, un film intéressant, la cuisine française. A few short, common ones come before. Think of BANGS: beauty, age, number, goodness and size.
| Before the noun | |
|---|---|
| Beauty | beau, joli |
| Age | jeune, vieux, nouveau |
| Number | premier, deuxième, dernier, and numbers |
| Goodness | bon, mauvais, gentil |
| Size | grand, petit, gros, long |
autre goes before too: une autre fois. In formal writing, des becomes de before an adjective: de bons amis.
Meaning changes with position
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| un grand homme, a great man | un homme grand, a tall man |
| mon ancien professeur, my former teacher | un château ancien, an old castle |
| mon cher ami, my dear friend | un livre cher, an expensive book |
| ma propre chambre, my own room | une chambre propre, a clean room |
Cards from this guide
10 cardsEach card asks about one thing this guide teaches, and its back gives the answer with why and an example. They're reviewed with the rest of the Nouns and adjectives cards.
How does an adjective change for a feminine noun?
It usually adds -e: petit becomes petite.
Where do most adjectives go?
After the noun: une voiture rouge.
Which adjectives usually go before the noun?
The BANGS group: short, common adjectives of beauty, age, number, goodness and size.
What's the feminine of heureux?
heureuse.
What's the feminine of beau?
belle.
Why is it un vieil ami and not un vieux ami?
Before a masculine noun starting with a vowel, vieux becomes vieil.
What's the difference between un grand homme and un homme grand?
Before the noun grand means great; after it, tall.
What's the feminine of blanc?
blanche.
Does an adjective ending in -e change for a feminine noun?
No: un livre rouge, une voiture rouge.
How does an adjective agree with a man and a woman together?
In the masculine plural.