FRENCH ADJECTIVES

By Calixte Wondje, Ph.D.

FRENCH ADJECTIVES

WELCOME!!!

PLAN

• Gender of French Adjectives
• Plural of French Adjectives
• Position of French Adjectives
• Comparison of French Adjectives
• Superlative of French Adjectives
• Irregular Comparative and Superlative of French Adjectives
• French Demonstrative Adjectives
• French Possessive Adjectives
• French Indefinite Adjectives

Gender of French Adjectives

Adjectives give information about nouns and pronouns.

Examples: a small box, a different book, a tall wall, a beautiful dress, a white house.

French adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun or pronoun they modify. Most masculine adjectives add –e to form feminine.

grand – grande    (big)

espagnol – espagnole   (Spanish)

prochain – prochaine   (next)

noir – noire    (black)

French adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun or pronoun they modify. Most masculine adjectives add –e to form feminine.

gris – grise    (gray)

petit – petite    (small, little)

compliqué – compliquée    (complicated)

poli – polie    (polite)

bleu – bleue    (blue)

Adjectives with masculine form ending in –e do not change form in the feminine.

bizarre – bizarre    (strange, peculiar)

difficile – difficile    (difficult)

drôle – drôle    (funny)

jaune – jaune    (yellow)

logique – logique    (logical)

rouge – rouge    (red)

Most masculine adjectives ending in –x have feminine forms ending in –se.

dangereux – dangereuse    (dangerous)

généreux – généreuse    (generous)

heureux – heureuse    (happy)

merveilleux – merveilleuse    (marvelous)

nerveux – nerveuse    (nervous)

sérieux – sérieuse    (serious)

Masculine adjectives ending in –f have feminine forms ending in –ve.

actif – active    (active)

naïf – naïve    (naïve)

neuf – neuve    (new)

sportif – sportive  (athletic)

Adjectives ending in –el, -en, or –on double the final consonant before adding –e.

actuel – actuelle    (present, present-day)

cruel – cruelle    (cruel)

canadien – canadienne    (Canadian)

européen – européenne    (European)

bon – bonne     (good)

mignon – mignonne    (cute)

Adjectives ending in –el, -en, or –on double the final consonant before adding –e.

gentil – gentille    (nice, friendly)

pareil – pareille    (similar)

nul – nulle    (none, not any)

Some masculine adjectives ending in –s have feminine forms ending in –sse.

bas – basse    (low)

épais – épaisse    (thick)

gras – grasse    (fat, fatty)

gros – grosse    (big, fat)

Some masculine adjectives ending in -et have feminine forms ending in –ète.

complet – complète    (complete)

discret – discrète    (discret)

inquiet – inquiète    (restless, upset)

secret – secrète    (secretive)

Some masculine adjectives ending in -et or –ot double the final –t before adding –e.

coquet – coquette    (flirtatious)

muet – muette    (mute)

sot – sotte    (foolish)

Masculine adjectives ending in –er have feminine forms ending in –ère.

amer – amère    (bitter)

dernier – dernière    (last)

étranger – étrangère    (foreign)

léger – légère     (light)

Masculine adjectives derived from verbs and ending in –eur have feminine forms ending in –euse.

flatteur – flatteuse    (flattering)

trompeur – trompeuse    (deceptive)

Some adjectives have irregular feminine forms.

beau – belle    (beautiful, handsome)

blanc – blanche    (white)

bref – brève    (brief)

doux – douce    (sweet, gentle, soft)

faux – fausse    (false)

favori – favorite    (favorite)

fou – folle    (mad, crazy)

frais – fraîche    (fresh)

franc – franche    (frank)

grec – grecque    (Greek)

long – longue    (long)

nouveau – nouvelle    (new)

public – publique    (public)

roux – rousse    (redheaded)

sec – sèche    (dry) vieux – vielle    (old)

Some adjectives are invariable. They do not change form to reflect gender or number.

Un pantalon chic  (masc-sing)  (stylish pants)

Une robe chic (fem-sing)   (a stylish dress)

Des chaussures marron (fem-plur)    (brown shoes)

Des chaussettes marron (fem-plur)   (brown socks)

CONCLUSION

In French, just like in English, adjectives are words that provide more information about a noun . Examples, tall, beautiful, happy, large, good, bad, important, easy, short, etc. They are often referred to as “describing words.”

In French, most adjectives change to match the noun they describe. This means their endings vary depending on whether the noun is masculine or feminine, and whether it is singular or plural.

Examples:

Un joueur canadien – A Canadian player

Une famille canadienne – A Canadian family

Des entreprises canadiennes – Canadian businesses

English language users put adjectives BEFORE the noun they describe, but French users usually put them AFTER the noun.

Examples:

Une voiture blanche – A white car

Un train plein – A full train.

Une robe déchirée – A torn dress

Une assiette cassée – A broken plate

Un plat appétissant – An appetizing dish

Plural of French Adjectives

Most French adjectives are made plural by adding –s to the masculine or feminine singular form.

noir – noirs (black)

bon – bons (good)

poli – polis (polite)

drôle – drôles (funny)

heureuse – heureuses (happy)

blanche – blanches (white)

Masculine singular adjectives ending in –s or –x do not change form in the plural

Des gâteaux délicieux    (delicious cakes)

Des bâtiments bas    (low buildings)

Adjectives ending in –eau as beau, nouveau, add –x to form the masculine plural.

De beaux jardins    (beautiful gardens)

Des mots nouveaux    (new words)

Most masculine singular adjectives ending in –al have plural forms ending in –aux.

Un plan génial – Des plans géniaux    (brilliant plans)

Un problème social – Des problèmes sociaux    (social problems)

But the adjectives: banal, fatal, final, natal, and naval form the masculine plural by adding –s.

L’examen final – Les examens finals    (final exams)

Son pays natal – Leurs pays natals     (their native countries)

Position of French Adjectives

Most French adjectives follow the noun they modify.

C’est un garçon intelligent.    (He is an intelligent boy)

C’est une femme cultivée.   (She is a cultured woman)

Some common adjectives referring to beauty, age, goodness, and size usually precede the noun.

Beau   (beautiful, handsome)

Bon    (good)

Gentil   (nice, friendly)

Grand    (big)

Gros    (big, fat)

Jeune    (young)

Joli    (pretty)

Long    (long)

Mauvais    (bad)

Nouveau    (new)

Petit    (small)

Vieux    (old)

Nous sommes arrivés à ce petit hôtel après un long voyage. (We arrived at this small hotel after a long trip.)

Special forms of beau, nouveau, and vieux are used before masculine singular nouns beginning with a vowel.

Un beau bâtiment – Un nouveau bâtiment – Un vieux bâtiment

Un bel immeuble – Un nouvel immeuble – Un vieil immeuble

Ordinal numbers and some other common adjectives usually precede the noun they modify.

Autre    (other)

Chaque    (each)

Plusieurs    (several)

Premier    (first)

Quelques (pl.)   (a few)

Tel    (such)

Prenez la troisième rue à gauche.  Turn left at the third street.

Chaque étudiant a plusieurs livres.  Each student has several books.

When more than one adjective is used to describe a noun, each adjective is placed in its usual position. If two adjectives occupy the same position before and after the noun, they are joined by et.

Un bon compte rendu intéressant.  (A good, interesting report)

Un compte rendu intéressant et compréhensif. (An interesting, comprehensive report)

Un long et mauvais compte rendu. (A long, bad report)

Some adjectives can either follow or precede a noun, but their meaning changes depending on their position. Usually, they have a literal meaning when they follow the noun and a figurative meaning when they precede it.

Un ancien combattant.  A former soldier (veteran).

Une ville ancienne.  An old, ancient city.

Un brave home.  A decent man.

Un soldat brave.  A brave soldier.

Certains pays.  Certain (some) countries.

Un échec certain.  A sure failure.

Mon cher ami.  My dear friend.

Une voiture chère.  An expensive car.

La dernière fois.  The last (final) time.

L’année dernière.  Last (preceding) year.

La même idée.  The same idea.

Le jour même.   The very day.

Un pauvre homme.  A poor (unfortunate) man.

Un homme pauvre.  A poor (penniless) man.

La prochaine fois.  The next (following) time.

La semaine prochaine.  Next week.

Ma propre chambre.  My own room.

Une chambre propre.  A clean room.

Un sale quartier.  A nasty (awful) neighborhood.

Un quartier sale.  A dirty neighborhood.

La seule femme.  The only woman.

La femme seule.  A woman alone.

Un simple citoyen.  An ordinary citizen.

Un texte simple.  A simple text.

Un vrai ami.  A real friend.

Une histoire vraie.  A true story.

Comparison of French Adjectives

One object or person may be seen as having more, less, or the same amount of a characteristic as another object or person. To express this, French and English use comparative constructions.

To make comparisons of superiority, French uses the construction plus + adjective + que.

Le boulevard est plus large que notre rue.

The boulevard is wider than our street.

To make comparisons of inferiority, French uses the construction moins + adjective + que.

Mais le boulevard est moins large que l’autoroute.

But the boulevard is less wide than (not as wide as) the superhighway.

To make comparisons of equality, French uses the construction aussi+ adjective + que.

Le boulevard est aussi large que l’avenue de la République.

The boulevard is as wide as the Avenue of the Republic.

The adjectives bon and mauvais have irregular comparative forms.

Bon(ne)(s) – meilleur(e)(s)    better

Mauvais(e)(s) – pire(s)    worse

Ce restaurant est meilleur que l’autre. This restaurant is better than the other one.

Le bruit est pire ici que dans mon quartier. The noise is worse here than in my neighborhood.

Superlative of French Adjectives

The superlative of an adjective is formed by placing the definite article before plus or moins and the adjective. When the adjective follows the noun, the definite article appears both before the noun and before plus or moins.

-Où se trouve le restaurant le plus connu ici?

–Where is the most well-known restaurant here?

–Les restaurants les plus célèbres et les plus chers se trouvent dans ce quartier.

–The most famous and the most expensive restaurants are found in this neighborhood.

The English preposition in after a superlative is translated by de.

-Quel est le magasin le plus élégant de cette ville?

–What is the most elegant store in the city?

-On dit que ‘’Chez Cartier’’ est un des magasins les plus élégants du pays.

–They say that «Chez Cartier» is one of the most elegant stores in the whole country.

If an adjective usually precedes the noun, its superlative form also precedes the noun. Only one definite article is required.

Jeanne est la meilleure élève de la classe.

Jeanne is the best student in the class.

Toronto est la plus grande ville du Canada.

Toronto is the biggest city in Canada.

Irregular Comparative and Superlative of French Adjectives

In French, as English, some adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms – better instead of ‘more good’, and worst instead of ‘most bad’.

Examples

J’ai une meilleure idée. I’ve got a better idea.

Il ne fait pas le moindre effort. He doesn’t make the slightest effort.

Notes:

• Choose the right form of the adjective to match the noun or pronoun, depending on whether it is masculine or feminine, singular or plural. Don’t forget to change le to la or les too in superlatives.

Note that bien and its comparative and superlative forms mieux and le mieux can be both adjectives and adverbs.

Il est bien, ce restaurant. (adjective) – This restaurant is good.

Elle va mieux aujourd’hui. (adverb) – She’s better today.

French Demonstrative Adjectives ‘ce’, ‘cette’, ‘cet’ and ‘ces’

In French, as in English, demonstrative adjectives are used with a noun to point out a particular thing or person, for example, this woman, that dog.

In French, you use the demonstrative adjective ce to point out a particular thing or person.

Like all adjectives in French, ce changes its form to cette, cet or ces, depending on whether you are referring to a noun that is masculine or feminine, singular or plural.

Note that cet is used in front of masculine singular nouns which begin with a vowel and most words beginning with h.

cet oiseau  – this/that bird

cet hôpital – this/that hospital

ce comes before the noun it refers to.

Combien coûte ce manteau? How much is this/that coat

Comment s’appelle cette entreprise? What is this/that company called?

Ces livres sont très intéressants. These/Those books are very interesting.

Ces couleurs sont jolies. These/Those colours are pretty.

French Demonstrative Adjectives :  ‘-ci’, ‘-là‘

If you want to emphasize the difference between something that is close to you and something that is further away, you can add:

-ci on the end of the noun for things that are closer

Prends cette valise-ci. – Take this case.

–là on the end of the noun for things that are further away.

Est-ce que tu reconnais cette personne-là? – Do you recognize that person?

French Possessive Adjectives

In French, as in English, possessive adjectives are used with a noun to show that one person or thing belongs to another. 

Like all French adjectives, these agree with the noun they refer to.

Note – Use mon, ton and son with feminine singular nouns in front of words that begin with a vowel and most words beginning with h. This makes them easier to say.

mon assiette – my plate

ton histoire – your story

son erreur – his/her mistake

mon autre – sœur  – my other sister

Possessive adjectives come before the noun they describe.

Voilà mon mari. – There’s my husband.

Mon frère et ma sœur habitent à Glasgow. – My brother and sister live in Glasgow.

Est-ce que tes voisins vendent leur maison? – Are your neighbours selling their house?

Rangez vos affaires. – Put your things away.

Remember that possessive adjectives agree with what they describe, not with the person who owns that thing.

For example, sa can mean his, her, its and one’s, but can only ever be used with a feminine singular noun.

Paul cherche sa montre. – Paul’s looking for his watch.

Paul cherche ses lunettes. – Paul’s looking for his glasses.

Catherine a appelé son frère. – Catherine called her brother.

Catherine a appelé sa sœur. – Catherine called her sister.

The equivalent of your in French is ton/ta/tes for someone you call tu, or votre/vos for someone you call vous.

Note: Possessive adjectives are not normally used with parts of the body. Use le, la, l’ or les instead.

J’ai mal à la main. – My hand hurts.

French Indefinite Adjectives

In French, as in English, an indefinite adjective is one of a small group of adjectives that are used to talk about people or things in a general way without saying exactly who or what they are.

This type of adjective comes before the noun it refers to. Here are the most common French indefinite adjectives.

J’ai d’autres projets. – I’ve got other plans.

J’y vais chaque année. – I go every year.

J’ai le même manteau. – I have the same coat.

Il a quelques amis à Paris. – He has some friends in Paris.

Il reste quelques bouteilles. – There are a few bottles left.

Il travaille tout le temps. – He works all the time.

Remember that you can also use tout to talk about how often something happens.

tous les jours – every day

tous les deux jours – every other day

Note – These words can also be used as pronouns, standing in place of a noun instead of being used with one. chaque and quelques have a slightly different form when they are used in this way.