French adjectives are essential for adding detail and color to sentences. They agree in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) with the nouns they describe, ensuring grammatical harmony.
- Adjectives change their endings to match the noun: e.g., petit (m. sing.), petite (f. sing.), petits (m. pl.), petites (f. pl.).
- Most adjectives follow the noun, but some common ones precede it (beau, jeune, vieux, etc.).
- There are two main types: descriptive adjectives (which give qualities) and limiting adjectives (which include possessives, demonstratives, etc.).
Correct! French adjectives agree in both gender and number with the noun they modify.
French adjectives are words that modify nouns by providing descriptions or qualities. They must agree in both gender and number with the noun they describe, ensuring that the endings of the adjectives change accordingly. For example, a masculine singular noun will take a masculine singular adjective, while a feminine plural noun will take a feminine plural adjective. This agreement is a fundamental rule in French grammar, distinguishing it from English, where adjectives remain the same regardless of the noun.
- Describe: French adjectives express qualities or states of nouns.
- Agreement: Adjectives change endings to match the noun's gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural).
- Typical Endings: Common adjective endings include -e for feminine and -s for plural.
Descriptive Adjectives
Most descriptive adjectives are placed after the noun in French.
Descriptive adjectives give more information about a noun's appearance, color, size, shape, or other qualities. In French, most of these adjectives are placed after the noun, unlike in English where they precede it.
- Typical endings: -eux (m.), -euse (f.), -if (m.), -ive (f.), -er (m.), -ère (f.), etc.
- Examples: un livre intéressant (an interesting book), une maison bleue (a blue house).
The feminine singular form of 'petit' is 'petite'.
The masculine form is petit, the feminine is petite, and for plural you add -s: petits (m. pl.), petites (f. pl.).
- Petit (m. sing.) / Petite (f. sing.)
- Petits (m. pl.) / Petites (f. pl.)
The correct forms are 'une voiture rouge' and 'des voitures rouges'.
For a feminine noun like voiture, use rouge (which is invariable in gender) for singular, and add -s for plural: une voiture rouge, des voitures rouges.
Exercise:
- Give the four forms of the adjective "grand."
- Place the correct form of "heureux" for a group of happy girls.
- Translate "a blue sky" and "blue skies" using the correct adjective forms.
Comparative and Superlative Adjectives
The comparative form for 'better' as an adverb is 'mieux'.
Comparatives compare two things, and superlatives express the extreme degree. You build them differently than in English:
- Comparative: Use plus... que (more than), moins... que (less than), aussi... que (as... as).
Ex: Elle est plus intelligente que moi.
- Superlative: Use le/la/les plus (the most), le/la/les moins (the least).
Ex: C’est la voiture la plus rapide.
> Note: For "good," use meilleur(e) for adjectives (better/best), and mieux for adverbial "better."
The correct phrase is 'l'étudiant le plus intelligent'.
For superlatives, match the article to the noun and place the adjective after le/la/les plus or le/la/les moins.
- L'étudiant le plus intelligent (the smartest student)
- La fille la plus intelligente (the smartest girl)
Exercise:
- Turn "intéressant" into a comparative and superlative for a masculine noun.
- Translate "She is less patient than her brother."
- Give a superlative sentence for "beautiful" (feminine plural).
Conclusion
French adjectives add rich detail to language but require careful agreement with nouns in gender and number. Most descriptive adjectives follow the noun, and comparatives and superlatives have unique constructions.
- Match adjective endings to the noun’s gender and number.
- Most descriptive adjectives go after the noun.
- Use plus/moins/aussi for comparatives and le/la/les plus for superlatives.
Yes, they ensure grammatical agreement and sentence harmony.