Adjective-Noun Agreement in French
Here are some common adjectives to describe people in French:
You may have noticed changes at the end of some of these adjectives. This means that the adjective can change to match the noun it is modifying. In French, all adjectives must agree with the nouns that they modify in terms of gender and number.
Gender means masculine or feminine. If you are describing people, this (usually) matches up to the gender of the person you are describing, so it is easy to know if you should use the masculine or feminine forms. For other nouns, you need to memorize the gender of the word just like you need to learn the meaning and the spelling. This is something that is difficult in French.
Number means singular (one item or person) or plural (more than one). English grammar makes the same distinction for nouns. In French, you have to change adjectives by adding a –s at the end to make them plural, as well, except those that are already ended with a –s or a –x at the singular form; in this case the end doesn't change.
In general, you can make feminine adjectives agree with the nouns they modify by adding a –e at the masculine adjective but there is any exceptions depending on the ending of the adjective:
Examples:
Robert est beau. [Robert is handsome.]
Marie est belle. [Marie is handsome.]
Marc est roux. [Marc is red-headed.]
Hélène est rousse.[ Hélène is red-headed.]
Pierre et Hélène sont sympatiques. [Pierre and Hélène are nice.]
Ces garçons sont bons. [These boys are good.]
Les maisons sont blanches. [The houses are white.]
Be careful with the pronunciation ! When the masculine adjective is ended with a consonant, you don't have to pronounce it but the feminine form of the adjective you do.
Examples:
Grand ➜ Grande (Tall)
Petit ➜ Petite (Small)
You may have noticed changes at the end of some of these adjectives. This means that the adjective can change to match the noun it is modifying. In French, all adjectives must agree with the nouns that they modify in terms of gender and number.
Gender means masculine or feminine. If you are describing people, this (usually) matches up to the gender of the person you are describing, so it is easy to know if you should use the masculine or feminine forms. For other nouns, you need to memorize the gender of the word just like you need to learn the meaning and the spelling. This is something that is difficult in French.
Number means singular (one item or person) or plural (more than one). English grammar makes the same distinction for nouns. In French, you have to change adjectives by adding a –s at the end to make them plural, as well, except those that are already ended with a –s or a –x at the singular form; in this case the end doesn't change.
In general, you can make feminine adjectives agree with the nouns they modify by adding a –e at the masculine adjective but there is any exceptions depending on the ending of the adjective:
| Adjective ending | Masculine | Feminine | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adjectives ending with –e ➜ No change | Égoïste | Égoïste | Egoist |
| -eux ➜ -euse | Chanceux | Chanceuse | Lucky |
| -en ➜ -enne -on ➜ -onne | Autrichien Bon | Autrichienne Bonne | Austrian Good |
| -er ➜ -ère | Premier | Première | First |
| -f ➜ -ve | Neuf | Neuve | New |
| Other cases | Gros Gentil Nouveau Long Blanc Vieux | Grosse Gentille Nouvelle Longue Blanche Vieille | Fat Kind New Long White Old |
Examples:
Robert est beau. [Robert is handsome.]
Marie est belle. [Marie is handsome.]
Marc est roux. [Marc is red-headed.]
Hélène est rousse.[ Hélène is red-headed.]
Pierre et Hélène sont sympatiques. [Pierre and Hélène are nice.]
Ces garçons sont bons. [These boys are good.]
Les maisons sont blanches. [The houses are white.]
Be careful with the pronunciation ! When the masculine adjective is ended with a consonant, you don't have to pronounce it but the feminine form of the adjective you do.
Examples:
Grand ➜ Grande (Tall)
Petit ➜ Petite (Small)
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Related Links: French Demonstrative Adjectives in French How to Conjugate Verbs in French: Present Tense |
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