By Calixte Wondje, Ph.D.
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 homme. 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.
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