Adjectif

French adjective

See also: Adjective Types

Adjectives are a particular type of modifier that describe nouns. Colours, shapes, and sizes, for example, are all adjectives.

  • une chemise verte - a green shirt
  • une table ronde - a round table
  • un grand arbre - a big tree

French adjectives are different from English adjectives in two respects:

1. French adjectives have to agree with the nouns they describe: they change spelling and pronunciation to match the gender and number of their nouns.

  • un gant vert - a green glove
  • une chemise verte - a green shirt
  • des gants verts - green gloves
  • des chemises vertes - green shirts

2. English adjectives go in front of nouns, but most French adjectives go after them. The most common exceptions can be memorized with the acronym BAGS:

  • Beauty - joli, beau
  • Age - jeune, vieux
  • Good/bad - bon, mauvais
  • Size - grand, petit
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