Adjectives

An adjective is a word that describes a noun, like grand, intéressant or orange. In French, most adjectives go after the noun they modify.

un professeur intéressant	des enfants gâtés
un ballon rouge	un chien méchant
une femme professionnelle	une robe serrée
des pommes délicieuses	un serveur impoli

An adjective must agree in both gender and number with the noun it describes. This typically means adding an -e to an adjective that describes a feminine noun, an -s to nouns that are plural, and an -es to nouns that are both feminine and plural.

masculine singular	feminine singular	masculine plural	feminine plural
un étudiant intelligent	une étudiante intelligente	des étudiants intelligents	des étudiantes intelligentes

If an adjective already ends in the letter -e, there is no need to add another -e for a feminine noun. You do still need to add an -s to make it plural.

masculine singular	feminine singular	masculine plural	feminine plural
un garçon timide	une fille timide	des garçons timides	des filles timides

Masculine adjectives that end in -eux, -er, -c or -f change to -euse, -ère, -che or -ive when feminine. If a masculine adjective ends in a consonant like -l, -n, or -s, that consonant should be doubled and an -e added when feminine.

masculine singular	feminine singular	masculine plural	feminine plural
généreux	généreuse	généreux	généreuses
cher	chère	chers	chères
franc	franche	francs	franches
sportif	sportive	sportifs	sportives
gentil	gentille	gentils	gentilles
bon	bonne	bons	bonnes
gros	grosse	gros	grosses

ADJECTIVES THAT PRECEDE NOUNS

While most French adjectives are placed after the nouns they describe, there are some that are placed in front of the noun. You can memorize these adjectives by using the acronym BANGS.

un joli appartement	une belle fille	un jeune garçon	une vieille television
deux chiens	vingt élèves	une bonne idée	un mauvais restaurant
un grand bâtiment	une petite maison	un long trajet	une longue histoire

ADJECTIVES THAT CHANGE MEANING

Some adjectives can be placed either before or after the noun they modify. This placement can change the meaning of the phrase, however. Generally, if the adjective is placed after the noun the meaning is more literal, while if it is placed before the meaning is more figurative.

ancien	mon ancien professeur my old (former) professor	mon professeur ancien my old (elderly) professor
cher	un cher livre a dear book	un livre cher an expensive book
curieux	une curieuse femme a curious (strange) woman	une femme curieuse a curious (nosy) woman
dernier	la dernière semaine the last week (of the month, year)	la semaine dernière last week (prior to this week)
différent	des différentes idées various ideas	une idée différente a different idea
drôle	une drôle histoire a strange story	une histoire drôle a funny store
gros	un gros problème a big problem	un chien gros a fat dog
nouveau	un nouveau produit a new (alternative) product	un produit nouveau a new (original) product
pauvre	un pauvre homme a poor (pitiful) man	un homme pauvre a poor (penniless) man
prochaine	la prochaine semaine the following week	la semaine prochaine next week

IRREGULAR ADJECTIVES

Some adjectives are irregular, and their various forms must simply be memorized.

Additionally, adjectives like beau, nouveau and vieux are spelled differently when they precede a masculine noun that begins with a vowel.

masculine singular	masculine before a vowel	masculine plural	feminine singular	feminine plural
beau	bel	beaux	belle	belles
nouveau	nouvel	nouveaux	nouvelle	nouvelles
vieux	vieil	vieux	vieille	vieilles

LES ADJECTIFS POSSESSIFS (POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES)

Possessive adjectives are what you use to express ideas such as “my mother” or “his pencil”.

In French, the possessive adjective must agree in gender and number with the noun it precedes, not the gender to whom the noun belongs. For example, ma mère (“my mother”) will always use the feminine possessive adjective ma, because the word mère is feminine.

	masculine singular	feminine singular	plural (masculine & feminine)
my	mon	ma	mes
your	ton	ta	tes
his/her	son	sa	ses
our	notre	notre	nos
your (plural, formal)	votre	votre	vos
their	leur	leur	leurs

If a noun begins with a vowel, you must use the masculine possessive adjective, even if the noun is feminine.

EX: mon ami (my male friend) mon amie (my female friend)

LES ADJECTIFS DÉMONSTRATIFS (DEMONSTRATIVE ADJECTIVES)

Demonstrative adjectives are used to specifically identify an item as “this” one or “that” one. They are used in place of articles, but they also must agree in gender and in number with the nouns they identify.

masculine singular	feminine singular	masculine before a vowel	plural
ce	cette	cet	ces

Ce tee-shirt est plus jolie que cette chemise.

Ces enfants sont vraiment pourris gâtés!

Je n’aime pas beaucoup cet appartement.

You can add -ci or -là to the end of a noun that uses a demonstrative adjective to differentiate between two of the same (or similar) nouns. They translate to “here” or “there” and which one you use depends on the proximity of the item to your body.

Préfères-tu ces sandales-ci ou ces sandales-là?
Do you prefer these sandals (here) or those ones (over there)?

Cette chaise-ci est plus confortable que cette chaise-là.
This chair (right here) is more comfortable than that chair (over there).

Je reste à cet hôtel-ci, pas cette maison-là.
I’m staying at this hotel (here), not that house (over there).