Understanding and Using French 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 garçon
"small glass"	un petit verre

Agreement of Regular French Adjectives (Accord des adjectifs réguliers)

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"	épicé
Masculine singular	épicé
Feminine singular	épicée
Masculine plural	épicés
​Feminine plural	épicées

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 > ère
Adjective: "expensive"	cher
Masculine singular	cher
Feminine singular	chère
Masculine plural	chers
Feminine plural	chères

Ending: et > ète
Adjective: "full"	complet
Masculine singular	complet
Feminine singular	complète
Masculine plural	complets
Feminine plural	complètes

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"	idéal
Masculine singular	idéal
Feminine singular	idéale
Masculine plural	idéaux
​Feminine plural	idéales

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 you'll 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 thé sucré
"American woman"	une femme américaine
"Catholic church"	une église 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 intéressante
"lively debate"	un débat passionné

•   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 problème
"sincere condolences"	les sincères condoléances
"vague promises"	les vagues promesses
"kind boy"	un gentil garçon

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 it's analytic, it goes after the noun.

Figurative: "my green (fruitful) years"	mes vertes années
Literal: "green vegetables"	des légumes 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 école
Literal: "my old (aged) school"	mon école ancienne

Figurative: "a certain (type of) look"	un certain regard
Literal: "a certain (assured) victory"	une victoire certaine