# Adjectives

https://langs123.com/en/french/adjectif-adverbe/adjectifs/
CEFR A1–A2 · 2026-10-24 · CC BY 4.0, langs123 contributors (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

> An adjective agrees with its noun in gender and number and usually follows it; a few short adjectives come before. The feminine usually adds **e** and the plural **s**: un ami **français**, une amie **française**, des amies **françaises**

## Summary

| Point | Rule | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Feminine | adjective + **-e** | Elle est **petite**. | She is small. |
| Plural | adjective + **-s** | Ils sont **petits**. | They are small. |
| Agreement | with the noun, also after **être** | La maison est **grande**. | The house is big. |
| Position | after the noun | Elle a un chat **noir**. | She has a black cat. |
| Before the noun | **beau** / **bon** / **grand** / **petit** / **jeune** / **vieux** / **nouveau** / **joli** / **gros** / **mauvais** | Elle a un **grand** jardin. | She has a big garden. |
| Irregular feminines | **eux** → **euse** / **if** → **ive** / **er** → **ère** / **on** → **onne** | Elle est **heureuse**. | She is happy. |
| Plural | **eau** → **eaux** / **s** → **s** / **x** → **x** | Les gilets sont **beaux**. | The cardigans are beautiful. |
| Colours | **orange** and **marron** never change | Elle a des sacs **marron**. | She has brown bags. |
| Vowel | **beau** → **bel** / **nouveau** → **nouvel** / **vieux** → **vieil** before a vowel | C’est un **bel** arbre. | It's a beautiful tree. |
| Plural in -aux | **al** → **aux** | Ce sont des produits **nationaux**. | They are national products. |
| Mixed group | one masculine and one feminine noun: masculine plural | Léa et Paul sont **contents**. | Léa and Paul are happy. |
| Trap | a short adjective goes before the noun, not after | J’ai un **bon** livre. | I have a good book. |

## Overview

- An adjective agrees in gender and number with the noun it describes. Le livre est **petit**. / La maison est **petite**. (The book is small. / The house is small.)
- The agreement also holds after **être**, with the subject. Léa est **contente**. / Les enfants sont **contents**. (Léa is happy. / The children are happy.)
- For nouns of different genders, the adjective takes the masculine plural. Léa et Paul sont **français**. / Un frère et une sœur **blonds**. (Léa and Paul are French. / A blond brother and sister.)
- For the gender of nouns, see Noun Gender.
- For the plural of nouns, see Plurals.
- For **c’est** and **il est** before an adjective, see C’est and Il est.
- **Très**, **trop** and **assez** modify an adjective: see Adverbs.
- To compare with an adjective (**plus grand que**), see Comparatives and Superlatives.

## Form: the feminine

| Ending | Masculine | Feminine |
| --- | --- | --- |
| adjective + **-e** | **grand** / **petit** / **content** | **grande** / **petite** / **contente** |
| **e** → **e** | **jeune** / **rouge** / **facile** | **jeune** / **rouge** / **facile** |
| **eux** → **euse** | **heureux** / **sérieux** | **heureuse** / **sérieuse** |
| **if** → **ive** | **actif** / **sportif** | **active** / **sportive** |
| **er** → **ère** | **premier** / **cher** | **première** / **chère** |
| **on** → **onne** | **bon** / **breton** | **bonne** / **bretonne** |
| **ien** → **ienne** | **italien** / **canadien** | **italienne** / **canadienne** |
| **s** → **sse** | **gros** / **bas** | **grosse** / **basse** |
| **il** → **ille** | **gentil** | **gentille** |
| **c** → **che** | **blanc** | **blanche** |
| **g** → **gue** | **long** | **longue** |
| **eur** → **euse** | **travailleur** / **menteur** | **travailleuse** / **menteuse** |
| **el** → **elle** | **naturel** / **cruel** | **naturelle** / **cruelle** |
| **et** → **ète** | **complet** / **secret** | **complète** / **secrète** |
| **x** → **ce** | **doux** | **douce** |
| **ais** → **aîche** | **frais** | **fraîche** |

- An adjective in **-e** keeps the same form in the masculine and the feminine. Le garçon est **jeune**. / La fille est **jeune**. (The boy is young. / The girl is young.)
- In speech, the feminine makes the final consonant audible. Il est **petit** /pəti/. · Elle est **petite** /pətit/. (He is small. / She is small.)

## Form: the plural

| Ending | Singular | Plural |
| --- | --- | --- |
| adjective + **-s** | **petit** / **petite** / **grande** | **petits** / **petites** / **grandes** |
| **s** → **s** / **x** → **x** | **gris** / **français** / **heureux** | **gris** / **français** / **heureux** |
| **eau** → **eaux** | **beau** / **nouveau** | **beaux** / **nouveaux** |
| **al** → **aux** | **national** / **spécial** | **nationaux** / **spéciaux** |

- The feminine plural adds **-s** to the feminine singular. Les filles sont **petites**. / Ce sont des maisons **vertes**. (The girls are small. / They are green houses.)
- In the feminine, **-al** gives **-ales**: only the masculine becomes **-aux**. Les produits sont **nationaux**. / Les fêtes sont **nationales**. (The products are national. / The holidays are national.)

## Position of the adjective

| Use | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| after the noun: the usual place, for colours, nationalities and most adjectives | Elle a un chat **noir**. / J’aime les maisons **anciennes**. | She has a black cat. / I like old houses. |
| before the noun: **beau** / **bon** / **grand** / **petit** / **jeune** / **vieux** / **nouveau** / **joli** / **gros** / **mauvais** | C’est un **grand** jardin. / C’est une **jolie** robe. | It's a big garden. / It's a pretty dress. |
| two adjectives: the short one before, the colour or nationality after | Elle porte une **jolie** robe **rouge**. / J’ai un **petit** chat **blanc**. | She is wearing a pretty red dress. / I have a small white cat. |

## Form: beau, nouveau, vieux

| Masculine | Masculine before a vowel | Feminine | Plural |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **beau** | **bel** | **belle** | **beaux** / **belles** |
| **nouveau** | **nouvel** | **nouvelle** | **nouveaux** / **nouvelles** |
| **vieux** | **vieil** | **vieille** | **vieux** / **vieilles** |

- **Bel**, **nouvel** and **vieil** stand before a masculine singular noun that starts with a vowel or a mute **h**. C’est un **bel** arbre. / Mon **nouvel** ami est là. / Voici un **vieil** hôtel. (It's a beautiful tree. / My new friend is here. / Here is an old hotel.)

## Colours

| Masculine | Feminine | Plural |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **noir** | **noire** | **noirs** / **noires** |
| **blanc** | **blanche** | **blancs** / **blanches** |
| **rouge** | **rouge** | **rouges** |
| **bleu** | **bleue** | **bleus** / **bleues** |
| **vert** | **verte** | **verts** / **vertes** |
| **jaune** | **jaune** | **jaunes** |
| **gris** | **grise** | **gris** / **grises** |
| **violet** | **violette** | **violets** / **violettes** |
| **rose** | **rose** | **roses** |
| **orange** | **orange** | **orange** |
| **marron** | **marron** | **marron** |

- **Orange** and **marron** come from a noun: they do not agree. Elle a des sacs **marron**. / J’aime les pulls **orange**. (She has brown bags. / I like orange sweaters.)
- A colour followed by another word stays unchanged. Elle a une jupe **bleu clair**. / Il a des yeux **vert foncé**. (She has a light blue skirt. / He has dark green eyes.)

## Typical errors

| ✗ | ✓ |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Une petit maison. | Une **petite** maison. | the adjective agrees even before the noun: **une petite maison** |
| La maison est grand. | La maison est **grande**. | the adjective after **être** agrees with the subject: **la maison est grande** |
| Les chats sont noir. | Les chats sont **noirs**. | the adjective takes **-s** in the plural: **les chats sont noirs** |
| Elle a une rouge voiture. | Elle a une voiture **rouge**. | a colour goes after the noun: **une voiture rouge**, not “a red car” |
| Léa et Paul sont contentes. | Léa et Paul sont **contents**. | a group of mixed genders takes the masculine plural: **contents** |
| Elle a des pulls oranges. | Elle a des pulls **orange**. | **orange** and **marron** do not agree |
| Un beau homme. | Un **bel** homme. | **beau** becomes **bel** before a vowel or a mute **h** |
| Des produits nationals. | Des produits **nationaux**. | the masculine plural of **-al** is **-aux** |