A1 French GrammarBasic Adjectives
Learn how French adjectives agree with nouns in gender and number. Discover which adjectives go before or after the noun, how to form feminine and plural forms, and master common irregular adjectives like beau, nouveau, and vieux.
1Adjective Agreement
French adjectives agree with the noun they describe in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural). The basic pattern: add -e for feminine, add -s for plural, add -es for feminine plural. Adjectives ending in -e don't add another -e for feminine.
Adjective Agreement Pattern
| Form | Pattern | Example (petit) |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine singular | base form | petit |
| Feminine singular | +e | petite |
| Masculine plural | +s | petits |
| Feminine plural | +es | petites |
Examples
Un petit garçon.
A small boy.
masculine singular
Une petite fille.
A small girl.
feminine +e
Des livres intéressants.
Interesting books.
masculine plural +s
Des maisons blanches.
White houses.
feminine plural +es
2Adjective Position
Most French adjectives go AFTER the noun: une voiture rouge (a red car). However, some common short adjectives go BEFORE: beau, bon, grand, gros, jeune, joli, long, mauvais, nouveau, petit, vieux. The BANGS rule: Beauty, Age, Number, Goodness, Size.
Common Before-Noun Adjectives
| French | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| beau/belle | beautiful | une belle femme |
| bon/bonne | good | un bon repas |
| grand/grande | big/tall | un grand homme |
| petit/petite | small | une petite maison |
| nouveau/nouvelle | new | une nouvelle voiture |
| vieux/vieille | old | un vieux livre |
Examples
C'est une grande ville.
It's a big city.
grande before noun
J'ai une voiture rouge.
I have a red car.
rouge after noun
C'est un bon restaurant français.
It's a good French restaurant.
bon before, français after
Une jolie robe bleue.
A pretty blue dress.
jolie before, bleue after
3Irregular Adjectives
Some adjectives have irregular feminine forms: beau→belle, nouveau→nouvelle, vieux→vieille, blanc→blanche, long→longue, bon→bonne. Before masculine nouns starting with a vowel, use bel, nouvel, vieil: un bel homme, un nouvel ami, un vieil arbre.
Irregular Adjective Forms
| Masc. | Before vowel | Fem. | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| beau | bel | belle | beautiful |
| nouveau | nouvel | nouvelle | new |
| vieux | vieil | vieille | old |
| blanc | - | blanche | white |
| long | - | longue | long |
Examples
C'est un bel appartement.
It's a beautiful apartment.
bel before vowel
J'ai une nouvelle amie.
I have a new friend (f.).
nouvelle feminine form
Le vieil homme est gentil.
The old man is kind.
vieil before vowel
Une longue journée.
A long day.
longue feminine form
4Common Descriptive Adjectives
Learn these essential adjectives for everyday descriptions: grand/petit (big/small), jeune/vieux (young/old), bon/mauvais (good/bad), beau/laid (beautiful/ugly), nouveau/ancien (new/old), chaud/froid (hot/cold), facile/difficile (easy/difficult).
Essential Adjective Pairs
| French | Feminine | English |
|---|---|---|
| grand / petit | grande / petite | big / small |
| jeune / vieux | jeune / vieille | young / old |
| bon / mauvais | bonne / mauvaise | good / bad |
| chaud / froid | chaude / froide | hot / cold |
| facile / difficile | (same) | easy / difficult |
Examples
Il fait chaud aujourd'hui.
It's hot today.
chaud with weather
C'est un exercice facile.
It's an easy exercise.
facile same for m./f.
J'ai de mauvaises nouvelles.
I have bad news.
mauvaises feminine plural
Elle est très jeune.
She is very young.
jeune same for m./f.