The adjectives beau, nouveau, vieux have THREE forms in the singular.
Look at these three cases:
C'est un vieux sac.It's an old bag.
C'est une vieille dame.She's an old lady.
C'est un vieil homme.He's an old man.
C'est un vieil oncle.He's an old uncle.
Note that the
masculine form changes when it is
followed by a vowel or mute h.
This third form exists to make sentences easier to pronounce !
Here are all the forms:
| masc before cons. |
masc before vowel |
feminine |
meaning |
| beau |
bel |
belle |
good-looking/pretty/handsome |
| nouveau |
nouvel |
nouvelle |
new |
| vieux |
vieil |
vieille |
old |
| fou |
fol |
folle |
crazy/mad |
| mou |
mol* |
molle |
soft |
*very rare form
Here are more examples to listen to:
Regarde le beau verre !Look at the beautiful glass!
La belle fille rêve.The beautiful girl is dreaming.
Il y a un bel arbre dans le jardin.There is a beautiful tree in the garden.
J'aime le nouveau logo.I like the new logo.
J'ai une nouvelle voiture.I have a new car.
Le nouvel épisode est ce soir.The new episode is tonight.
Le projet d'Alain est fou.Alain's project is crazy.
C'est une folle aventure !It's a crazy adventure!
Il a un fol appétit !He has a crazy appetite!
Je préfère le caramel mou.I prefer soft caramel.
Il a une poignée de main molle.He has a limp handshake.
Want to make sure your French sounds confident?
We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your
gaps and mistakes. Start your Braimap today »
Find your French level for FREE
Test your French to the CEFR standard
