Adjectives
Adjectives
Basic Adjective Formation
- Adjectives must agree with their nouns whether in number or gender.
- Most adjectives can be formed by following this rule:
- Add nothing for masculine singular nouns.
- Add –e for feminine singular nouns.
- Add –s for masculine plural nouns.
- Add –es for feminine plural nouns.
Adjective Placements
- In French, adjectives can be placed before or after the noun, but not all adjectives follow that.
- Usually, adjectives are placed after the noun, but there are exceptions that are always placed before the noun.
- Acronym – BAGS (Beauty, Age, Good, Size)
- List of adjectives that are always placed before the noun:
| Adjectives | Meaning |
| Bon(ne) | Good |
| Mauvais(e) | Bad |
| Vieux (Vieille) | Old |
| Jeune | Young |
| Nouveau (Nouvelle) | New |
| Beau (Belle) | Beautiful |
| Petit(e) | Small |
| Grand(e) | Big |
| Gros(se) | Big; Fat |
| Mince | Thin |
| Joli(e) | Pretty |
Variable Placement
- In French, it is possible for adjectives to be placed before AND after the noun, but their meaning changes depending on their position.
- List of adjectives that can be placed before AND after the noun:
| Adjectives before the noun | Meaning | Adjectives after the noun | Meaning |
| Cher (Chère) | Dear | Cher (Chère) | Expensive |
| Propre | Own | Propre | Clean; Tidy |
| Ancien(ne) | Former | Ancien(ne) | Old |
| Vrai(e) | Real | Vrai(e) | True |
| Même | Same | Même | Very |
Compound Adjectives
- It is possible to have and form compound adjectives and they can appear in many forms.
- Most common forms appear as “adjective + adjective” and “adjective + noun”
- For “adjective + adjective”, both adjectives must agree in noun and gender to the noun.
- For “adjective + noun”, the adjective does not agree in noun and gender to the noun.
Possessive Adjectives
- These are adjectives that show possession towards a noun.
- They are placed before the noun always.
- Note: Mon, Ton and Son are always used when there is a noun starting with a vowel or a silent h.
| Masculine | Feminine | Plural | Meaning |
| Mon | Ma | Mes | My |
| Ton | Ta | Tes | Your (informal/singular) |
| Son | Sa | Ses | His, Her, It |
| Votre | Votre | Vos | Your (formal/plural) |
| Notre | Notre | Nos | Our |
| Leur | Leur | Leurs | Their |
Demonstrative Adjectives
- These are adjectives that demonstrate nouns (This/That)
- They are placed before the noun always.
- Note: “Cet” is used instead of “Ce” when there is a noun starting with a vowel or a silent h.
| Singular | Plural |
| Masculine | Ce | Ces |
| Feminine | Cette | Ces |
| Meaning | This/That | These/Those |
Interrogative Adjectives
- They are used to make a choice between nouns.
- They are place before the noun always.
| Singular | Plural |
| Masculine | Quel | Quels |
| Feminine | Quelle | Quelles |
| Meaning | What/Which |
Comparative Adjectives
- They are used to make comparisons between two nouns that they modify. (bigger, smaller, etc.)
- To say something is more than the other, add “plus” before the adjective.
- To say something is less than the other, add “moins” before the adjective.
- Note: Plus – More; Moins – Less
Superlative Adjectives
- They are used to describe an object being the uppermost or lowermost of its quality. (biggest, smallest, etc.)
- They are two ways to form them in French:
| When the adjective is placed before the noun |
| Le/La/Les | + | Plus/Moins | + | Adjective | + | Noun |
Example: La plus grande maison – The biggest house
| When the adjective is placed after the noun |
| Le/La/Les | + | Noun | + | Le/La/Les | + | Plus/Moins | + | Adjective |
Example: La maison la plus dangereuse – The most dangerous house
Indefinite Adjectives
- They are used to talk about nouns in a general sense without specifying its qualities properly.
- They are placed before the noun always.
| Adjectives | Meaning |
| Autre (Autres) | Other |
| Chaque | Each/Every |
| Quelques | Some |
| Plusieurs | Several |
| Même (Mêmes) | Same |
| Tout (Tous/Toute/Toutes) | All/Every |
| Tel (Tels/Telle/Telles) | Such |
| Certain (Certains/Certaine/Certaines) | Certain |
