Les adjectifs en français
ADJECTIVES IN FRENCH
WHAT IS AN ADJECTIVE?
An adjective is a word that modifies a
noun by describing it in some way:
• Shape
• Color
• Size
• Nationality
French adjectives are
different from English
adjectives in two
ways:
1. Adjectives in French reflect the nouns they describe in
gender and number. 2. In French, unlike in English, they
usually follow the noun they modify.
Un garçon content Une fille contente
Des garçons contents Des filles contentes
1. French adjectives change to agree in gender and
number with the nouns that they modify, which means
there can be up to four forms of each adjective:
Adjective: joli (pretty)
Masculine singular joli
Feminine singular jolie
Masculine plural jolis
Feminine plural jolies
The regular adjectives add -e to the base masculine form if
it ends in consonant to form the feminine:
Un garçon brun
Une fille brune
More than one? Add an -s to form the plural:
Des garçons bruns Des filles brunes
2. In English, adjectives are always
found in front of the noun. However,
most French adjectives follow the noun
they modify:
un livre vert - green book
un professeur intelligent - smart teacher
But there are some French adjectives that
precede the noun. a) Specialized adjectives
called articles--le, la, l’, les, un, une, des, d’-always precede the noun they modify. b)
BANGS
un beau garçon - handsome boy
un petit verre - small glass
BANGS: RULE FOR WRITING ADJECTIVES
B – Beauty
-beau / bel / belle / beaux / belles
A – Age
-nouveau / nouvel / nouvelle / nouveaux / nouvelles
N – Numbers
-premier / première
G - Greatness/Goodness
-mauvais / mauvaise
S – Size
-gros / grosse
• French adjectives change if they are
feminine or plural. But they can
sometimes change if they are masculine
too!
• There can be up to four forms of each
adjective!
• Most French adjectives add ‘E’ for
feminine and ‘S’ for plural.
Irregular French Adjectives
There are several French adjectives
which have irregular feminine and
plural forms, as well as a special
form when they are placed in front
of a masculine noun that begins with
a vowel or a mute H:
Singular
Adjective
beautiful
new
Masc.
beau
nouveau
Vowel / H
bel
Plural
Fem.
belle
nouvel
nouvelle
Masc.
beaux
nouveaux
Fem.
belles
nouvelles
crazy
fou
fol
folle
fous
folles
soft
mou
mol
molle
mous
molles
old
vieux
vieil
vieille
vieux
vieilles
Here are some rules to help you with irregular
adjectives?
Adjectives whose singular masculine form end in -ien need
to double the -n before adding –e to make it feminine.
Le garçon canadien
La fille canadienne
For adjectives whose singular masculine form ends in -eux
change the -x to -s and then add -e to form the feminine
singular:
Le garçon heureux
La fille heureuse
Adjectives whose singular masculine form ends in -é
add an unaccented -e to form the singular feminine:
Le garçon réservé
La fille réservée
Adjectives whose singular masculine form ends in -il double
the -l and add -e to form the feminine:
Le garçon gentil
La fille gentille
If more than one adjective modifies a noun, you
may connect them with et:
Une jeune fille heureuse et sympathique
Un jeune homme patient et poli
Je Suis Super!
Poster Criteria:
• 1 page poster (8 ½ X 11)
• Graphics or images are clear and related to the topic… YOU!
• Most important items are labeled.
• Sufficient use of vocabulary.
• Attractive and colourful.
• Picture of you with at least five sentences describing you. This may be typed.
Presentation Criteria:
• Sign up for a presentation time, either in front of the class or in
a round table.
• Prepare for the presentation by reviewing the poster.
• You should be able to present without reading off of the poster.
You may consult the poster to remind yourself- be quick!
• Make eye contact with the audience.
• Speak in a clear, loud voice.
Bonne Chance!