I can describe a person and a thing: put the adjective in the right gender, number, and position — and not say “un vieux ami”.
What kind? The adjective and the noun
What kind? The adjective and the noun
An adjective describes a person or a thing. In English it never changes; in French it changes with the noun.
Feminine: add e; plural: add s; feminine plural: add es. An adjective that already ends in e (jeune) doesn't change in the feminine; one that ends in s or x (gros, vieux, sérieux) doesn't change in the masculine plural.
A silent final consonant, usually t, d, s, x (petit, grand, gros), is heard before e: petit [pəti] — petite [pətit], grand [ɡʁɑ̃] — grande [ɡʁɑ̃d]. But r and f are always heard (cher, sportif), and cher — chère, joli — jolie sound alike: you don't always hear the feminine.
Special endings: eux — euse (sérieux — sérieuse), f — ve (sportif — sportive), er — ère (cher — chère); bon — bonne, gros — grosse. Bonne has no nasal vowel: bon [bɔ̃] — bonne [bɔn].
Position: English puts adjectives before the noun; French usually puts them AFTER — une leçon sérieuse, un ami sportif. Only ten common words go before the noun: grand, petit, bon, beau, nouveau, vieux, jeune, joli, gros, mauvais.
Before a vowel or h muet, three words change form: beau — bel, nouveau — nouvel, vieux — vieil.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “une maison grand” — “une grande maison”.
• NOT “Ma mère est sportif” — “Ma mère est sportive”.
• NOT “un cher restaurant” — “un restaurant cher”.
• NOT “un vieux ami” — “un vieil ami”.
The adjective changes with the noun
You can hear the feminine: before -e, the final consonant is pronounced.
| Masculine | Feminine | Masculine plural | Feminine plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| grand | grande | grands | grandes |
| jeune | jeune | jeunes | jeunes |
| sérieux | sérieuse | sérieux | sérieuses |
| sportif | sportive | sportifs | sportives |
| cher | chère | chers | chères |
| bon | bonne | bons | bonnes |
| gros | grosse | gros | grosses |
Where the adjective goes
Only ten common words go before the noun — they're learned as a list.
| After the noun — the usual case | Before the noun — a closed list of 10 |
|---|---|
| un professeur sportif | un grand jardin |
| une voiture chère | une petite table |
| un ami français | un vieux tapis |
Before a vowel and h muet: bel, nouvel, vieil
Three words whose masculine form changes before a vowel and a silent h.
| Before a consonant | Before a vowel or h muet |
|---|---|
| un beau livre | un bel hôtel |
| un nouveau sac | un nouvel étudiant |
| un vieux bus | un vieil ami |
Lesson notes
What kind? The adjective and the noun
An adjective describes a person or a thing. In English it never changes; in French it changes with the noun.
Feminine: add e; plural: add s; feminine plural: add es. An adjective that already ends in e (jeune) doesn't change in the feminine; one that ends in s or x (gros, vieux, sérieux) doesn't change in the masculine plural.
A silent final consonant, usually t, d, s, x (petit, grand, gros), is heard before e: petit [pəti] — petite [pətit], grand [ɡʁɑ̃] — grande [ɡʁɑ̃d]. But r and f are always heard (cher, sportif), and cher — chère, joli — jolie sound alike: you don't always hear the feminine.
Special endings: eux — euse (sérieux — sérieuse), f — ve (sportif — sportive), er — ère (cher — chère); bon — bonne, gros — grosse. Bonne has no nasal vowel: bon [bɔ̃] — bonne [bɔn].
Position: English puts adjectives before the noun; French usually puts them AFTER — une leçon sérieuse, un ami sportif. Only ten common words go before the noun: grand, petit, bon, beau, nouveau, vieux, jeune, joli, gros, mauvais.
Before a vowel or h muet, three words change form: beau — bel, nouveau — nouvel, vieux — vieil.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “une maison grand” — “une grande maison”.
• NOT “Ma mère est sportif” — “Ma mère est sportive”.
• NOT “un cher restaurant” — “un restaurant cher”.
• NOT “un vieux ami” — “un vieil ami”.