French Adjectives: Usage and Placement

French adjectives describe and modify nouns. Their placement and agreement are fundamental aspects of French grammar that require careful attention.

Placement Rules

Most French adjectives follow the noun they modify: la belle maison (the beautiful house). However, some common adjectives precede nouns: bon, mauvais, grand, petit, nouveau, vieux, jeune, beau, gentil. This distinction must be memorized.

Gender Agreement

Adjectives must agree with the noun they modify in gender. Feminine forms often add -E to masculine forms: grand → grande, petit → petite. Some adjectives have irregular feminine forms: beau → belle, nouveau → nouvelle, gentil → gentille.

Plural Formation

Plural adjectives add -S to singular forms: les grands hommes. Adjectives already ending in -S or -X remain unchanged: les dangereux situations. Those ending in -EAU add -X: beau → beaux.

Comparative and Superlative

Comparatives use plus (more), moins (less), or aussi (as) plus adjective plus que (than/as). Superlatives use le/la/les plus plus/moins before the adjective.