A2 French GrammarAdjective Endings
Master French adjective agreement for gender and number. Adjectives must agree with the nouns they modify, changing endings based on masculine/feminine and singular/plural. Learn regular patterns, common irregular adjectives, and special forms like beau/bel/belle. Essential for accurate description in French.
1Regular Adjective Agreement
Most French adjectives follow a regular pattern: add -e for feminine, -s for masculine plural, -es for feminine plural. The base form is masculine singular: petit → petite → petits → petites. If the masculine already ends in -e, the feminine is the same: rouge → rouge. The -s is silent but essential in writing.
Regular Agreement Pattern
| Masc Sing | Fem Sing | Masc Plur | Fem Plur | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| petit | petite | petits | petites | small |
| grand | grande | grands | grandes | big/tall |
| intelligent | intelligente | intelligents | intelligentes | intelligent |
| rouge | rouge | rouges | rouges | red |
Examples
Le petit garçon / La petite fille
The small boy / The small girl
petit → petite (add -e)
Les grandes maisons
The big houses
grande + s = grandes
Une robe rouge
A red dress
rouge stays the same (ends in -e)
Des hommes intelligents
Intelligent men
masculine plural + s
2Special Feminine Forms
Some adjectives have irregular feminine forms. Adjectives ending in -eux change to -euse: heureux → heureuse. Those ending in -f change to -ve: actif → active. Adjectives ending in -er change to -ère: premier → première. These patterns are predictable once learned.
Feminine Form Patterns
| Masculine | Feminine | Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| heureux | heureuse | -eux → -euse | happy |
| actif | active | -f → -ve | active |
| premier | première | -er → -ère | first |
| bon | bonne | double consonant + e | good |
| ancien | ancienne | -en → -enne | old/former |
Examples
Il est heureux. Elle est heureuse.
He is happy. She is happy.
-eux → -euse
Un homme actif, une femme active
An active man, an active woman
-f → -ve
Le premier jour, la première semaine
The first day, the first week
-er → -ère
Un bon ami, une bonne amie
A good friend (m), a good friend (f)
bon doubles the -n
3Irregular Adjectives (beau, nouveau, vieux)
Three common adjectives have special forms before masculine singular nouns starting with a vowel or silent h: beau → bel, nouveau → nouvel, vieux → vieil. This makes pronunciation smoother. The feminine forms are belle, nouvelle, vieille. These are among the most used adjectives in French.
Beau, Nouveau, Vieux
| Before consonant | Before vowel/h | Feminine | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| beau | bel | belle | beautiful/handsome |
| nouveau | nouvel | nouvelle | new |
| vieux | vieil | vieille | old |
Examples
Un beau garçon, un bel homme
A handsome boy, a handsome man
bel before vowel sound
Une belle femme
A beautiful woman
belle = feminine
Un nouvel appartement
A new apartment
nouvel before a-
Un vieil ami, une vieille amie
An old friend (m), an old friend (f)
vieil before vowel, vieille = fem
4Adjective Position
Most French adjectives come after the noun: une voiture rouge. However, common adjectives like beau, bon, grand, petit, jeune, vieux, nouveau, and mauvais come before the noun: une belle voiture. Some adjectives change meaning based on position: un grand homme (great man) vs un homme grand (tall man).
BAGS Adjectives (Before Noun)
| Type | Examples | Position | Example Phrase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beauty | beau, joli | Before | une jolie maison |
| Age | jeune, vieux, nouveau | Before | un jeune homme |
| Goodness | bon, mauvais | Before | un bon livre |
| Size | grand, petit, gros | Before | une grande ville |
Examples
Une petite maison blanche
A small white house
petite before, blanche after
C'est un bon restaurant français.
It's a good French restaurant.
bon before, français after
Un ancien collègue (former colleague)
A former colleague
ancien before = former
Un meuble ancien (antique furniture)
Antique furniture
ancien after = old/antique