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Adjectives ending in -al are regular in the feminine but become -aux in the masculine plural.
The plural form of adjectives ending in -al in French
Look at these examples:
Des ordres généraux sont établis par des règles générales.General orders are established by general rules.
Les bijoux royaux appartiennent aux personnes royales.Royal jewels belong to royal persons.
Il a des amis loyaux et des amies loyales.He has loyal male friends and loyal female friends.
J'aime les personnages principaux, mais pas les intrigues principales.I like the main characters, but not the main plots.
Here is a list of some of the most common ones:
| Adjective | Masc. plural | Fem. plural |
| général | généraux | générales |
| principal | principaux |
principales |
| normal | normaux | normales |
| royal | royaux | royales |
| loyal | loyaux | loyales |
| médiéval | médiévaux | médiévales |
| légal | légaux | légales |
ATTENTION: There are many exceptions covered in this lesson Forming the plural of French adjectives ending in -al (exceptions)
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Examples and resources
