“Diverses organisations protègent et promeuvent le français”

Question

I was surprised to see the adjective “diverses” come before the noun “organisations”. Am I right to find this unusual, or is there maybe a rule I’m not aware of?

Accepted Answer

Bonjour ,
- after a noun → ‘multiple’ / ‘varied’

une offre diverse = a varied offer
les faits divers = miscellaneous news items

- before the noun → ‘numerous and different’ – acts as an indefinite article

divers pays participent à cette compétition = numerous countries take part in this competition
diverses organisations sont invitées = various organisations are invited
ils viennent de divers horizons = they come from several different backgrounds

Attention: can also be preceded by an article, see example below
les diverses organisations internationales = the various international organisations
 
I hope this is helpful.
Bonne journée !

Answer

Hi Brian,Yes, there is   ---The adjective in French can appear before or after the noun and changes the meaning.Before the noun  -->  Abstract meaningAfter the noun  --> concrete / descriptive meaningI would expect "diverses" to mean "varied" after the nounIt could also mean "miscellaneous" or "numerous" in your question's context, that is before the noun.We really need Cécile's expert comments here as a native French speaker.Jim

Answer

https://www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais-anglais/divers/26022
https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/movable-adjectives/
Divers is one of the moveable adjectives, although I think the difference in meaning is subtler (in English translation) than for a number of other moveable adjectives.