Grammar / Noun-adjective agreement and the place of adjectives
A1 Breakthrough
Noun-adjective agreement A qualifying adjective qualifies a noun. Examples:
Un café noir
Une grande maison An adjective must agree with the noun it qualifies in gender (masculine and feminine) and number (singular or plural).
Masculine singular |
Feminine singular |
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Un petit garçon
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Une petite fille
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Masculine plural |
Feminine plural |
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Des petits garçons
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Des petites filles
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Masculine singular |
Feminine singular + "e" |
Masculine plural + "s" |
Feminine plural + "es" |
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The place of adjectives
There is no simple rule for the place of adjectives.
Most adjectives come after a noun, especially adjectives indicating colour, shape, religion and nationality.
Un livre intéressant, des pommes vertes, une église catholique, des tables rondes, des femmes chinoises.
Generally, short adjectives such as beau, joli, double, jeune, vieux, petit, grand, gros, mauvais, demi, bon, nouveau, are placed before the noun.
Some adjectives can be placed before or after a noun, and this changes the meaning.