Adjectives copy the noun
A French adjective agrees with its noun in gender and number. The base pattern is simple: add -e for feminine, add -s for plural, add both for feminine plural. Petit becomes petite, petits, petites.
Two shortcuts: if the masculine already ends in -e (rouge, facile), the feminine is identical. If the masculine already ends in -s or -x (gris, heureux), the masculine plural is identical.
The irregular feminine patterns
- -eux becomes -euse: heureux, heureuse
- -f becomes -ve: actif, active; neuf, neuve
- -er becomes -ère: premier, première
- -on and -en double the n: bon, bonne; ancien, ancienne
| Masculine | Feminine | Masc. plural | Fem. plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| petit | petite | petits | petites |
| heureux | heureuse | heureux | heureuses |
| actif | active | actifs | actives |
| premier | première | premiers | premières |
| bon | bonne | bons | bonnes |
| beau | belle | beaux | belles |
Position: most adjectives follow the noun
The default position of a French adjective is after the noun: une robe verte, un livre intéressant, une question difficile. Colors, shapes, nationalities and most descriptive adjectives all follow.
A short list of very common adjectives comes before the noun instead. A useful memory hook is BAGS: Beauty (beau, joli), Age (jeune, vieux, nouveau), Goodness (bon, mauvais), Size (grand, petit, gros). So: une grande maison, un bon repas, une jolie ville.
| Elle porte une robe verte. | She is wearing a green dress. colors follow the noun |
| Ils habitent dans une grande maison. | They live in a big house. grand precedes: size |
| C'est un livre intéressant. | It is an interesting book. |
| Mes sœurs sont très sportives. | My sisters are very athletic. -ive feminine plural |
When a plural adjective comes before the noun, des becomes de: des idées bonnes sounds wrong; the natural form is de bonnes idées.
Beau, nouveau and vieux before a vowel
Three preceding adjectives grow a special masculine form before a vowel or silent h: beau becomes bel, nouveau becomes nouvel, vieux becomes vieil. The feminine forms belle, nouvelle and vieille are regular and already end in a consonant sound, so they never change.
| Il a acheté un bel appartement. | He bought a beautiful apartment. bel before a vowel |
| C'est un vieil homme charmant. | He is a charming old man. vieil before silent h |
| C'est une vieille histoire. | It is an old story. feminine vieille is regular |
Adjectives that change meaning with position
A few adjectives mean different things before and after the noun. Ancien before means former; after, it means ancient or old. Propre before means own; after, it means clean. Cher before means dear; after, it means expensive. Grand before a person means great; grand after a person describes height.
| Mon ancien collègue travaille ici. | My former colleague works here. ancien before the noun = former |
| Elle visite une église ancienne. | She is visiting an ancient church. ancien after the noun = old, ancient |
| Nous avons de bonnes nouvelles. | We have good news. des becomes de before a preceding adjective |
Agreement at a distance
Agreement survives across the verb être: Les chambres sont petites. It also applies when the adjective describes body features with avoir: Elle a les cheveux courts, Il a les yeux verts. Wherever the adjective lands in the sentence, it copies the gender and number of the noun it describes.
| Elle a les cheveux courts. | She has short hair. courts agrees with les cheveux, masculine plural |
Pronunciation corner
Many feminine forms are audible where the masculine is silent. The written -e wakes up the final consonant.
| petit / petite | /pəti/ /pətit/ | puh-TEE vs puh-TEET; the feminine -e makes the t sound |
| heureuse | /øʁøz/ | uh-RUHZ with rounded lips; the feminine ends in a z sound |
| première | /pʁəmjɛʁ/ | pruh-MYAIR; open air sound in the last syllable |
| vieille | /vjɛj/ | VYEY, one syllable ending in a y glide |
| belle | /bɛl/ | bell, exactly like the English word |
Practice drill
Rewrite each phrase with the adjective in brackets in its correct form and position.
une voiture (blanc)Show answer
une voiture blanche
des idées (bon)Show answer
de bonnes idéesbon precedes, and des becomes de
un homme (vieux)Show answer
un vieil hommevieil before a vowel
des films (intéressant)Show answer
des films intéressants
une question (sérieux)Show answer
une question sérieuse
un hôtel (beau)Show answer
un bel hôtel
des chaussures (neuf)Show answer
des chaussures neuves-f becomes -ve
la fois (premier)Show answer
la première fois
Frequently asked questions
Do all French adjectives agree with the noun?
Nearly all do. A small set of color adjectives derived from nouns, such as marron and orange, stay invariable: des chaussures marron. Everything else takes gender and number endings.
Which adjectives go before the noun?
A short list of frequent adjectives covering beauty, age, goodness and size: beau, joli, jeune, vieux, nouveau, bon, mauvais, grand, petit, gros. Almost everything else follows the noun.
What happens to beau before a vowel?
Beau becomes bel before a masculine noun starting with a vowel or silent h: un bel été, un bel hôtel. Nouveau and vieux do the same: un nouvel ami, un vieil arbre. The feminine forms belle, nouvelle and vieille never change.
Why de bonnes idées instead of des bonnes idées?
In careful French, des reduces to de when a plural adjective precedes the noun: de bonnes idées, de vieux amis. You will hear des bonnes idées in casual speech, but de is the form to write.