← Back

Adjectives – Agreement & Placement

Understand how French adjectives must agree in gender and number with their noun and where they are placed.
French adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.
Adjectives agree in gender and number.
un livre intéressant / une histoire intéressante
Make an adjective feminine by adding -e to the masculine form (if it does not already end in -e).
Masculine + e = feminine adjective.
grand → grande / petit → petite / français → française
Make an adjective plural by adding -s to the singular form (masculine or feminine).
Singular + s = plural adjective.
grand → grands / grande → grandes
Adjectives already ending in -e in the masculine do not change for the feminine.
Masculine adjectives ending in -e = same in feminine.
un livre facile / une leçon facile (no change)
Some adjectives double the final consonant before adding -e for the feminine: bon → bonne gros → grosse gentil → gentille.
Some adjectives double consonant in feminine.
bon → bonne / bas → basse / muet → muette
Irregular adjectives: beau → belle vieux → vieille nouveau → nouvelle blanc → blanche.
Important irregular adjective feminines to memorize.
un beau garçon / une belle fille / un vieux livre / une vieille maison
Most French adjectives come AFTER the noun. This is opposite to English.
Most adjectives follow the noun in French.
une voiture rouge / un homme intelligent / une idée brillante
BAGS adjectives (Beauty Age Goodness Size) usually come BEFORE the noun: beau vieux nouveau bon mauvais grand petit jeune.
BAGS adjectives precede the noun.
BAGS = Beauty Age Goodness Size
un grand homme / une petite fille / un bon repas / une belle journée
Some adjectives change meaning depending on whether they come before or after the noun.
Position can change adjective meaning.
un ancien professeur (former) / une maison ancienne (old)
Adjectives of colour and nationality always follow the noun and nationality adjectives are not capitalized.
Colour and nationality adjectives follow the noun.
une voiture bleue / un étudiant français (not Français)