Les Adjectives en Français Adjectives in French
Adjective usage in French differs from English in several ways. Placement Gender Quantity
The first difference is in the placement of the adjective The first difference is in the placement of the adjective. Instead of before the noun, most adjectives in French go after the noun. English: the shy boy French: le garçon timide
However, there are several types of adjectives that do go before the noun. These can be remembered by the acronym B.A.G.S. Example: Beauty La belle fleur Age La jeune fille Good/Bad Le bon repas Size Le petit chien
The next difference is that the adjective must match the noun in gender. Example: Un homme intelligent Une femme intelligente
The final difference is that the adjective must also match the noun as singular or plural. Example: Le livre intéressant Les livres intéressants
Most adjectives will end in an s when plural Most adjectives will end in an s when plural. There are some that have spelling changes: Examples: génial > géniaux beau > beaux
If the noun is both feminine and plural then the adjective must reflect the same. Example: Les voitures sportives
Some examples of various adjectives: Masculine Feminine No Gender Amusant Amusante Mauvais Mauvaise Bête Beau Belle Méchant Méchante Bizarre Bon Bonne Mignon Mignonne Drôle Content Contente Nouveau Nouvelle Faible Faché Fachée Petit Petite Jeune Fort Forte Poli Polie Mince Fou Folle Sportif Sportive Moche Gentil Gentille Vieux Vieille Pauvre Grand Grande Pénible Gros Grosse Jolie Riche Heureux Heureuse Stupide Indépendant Indépendante Sympathique (Sympa) Intelligent Intelligente Timide Intéressant Intéressante Triste