🇫🇷A1 French GrammarBasic Adjectives
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.
Practice
Get 2 of 3 right to learn this lesson
Complete: 'C'est un ___ ami.' (a new friend - masculine)
What is the feminine form of 'bon' (good)?
Complete: 'une ___ maison' (a white house)
See Real Examples in Stories
Now that you've practiced, see this grammar in context
