Descriptive Adjectives
Descriptive adjectives in French add color, shape, and feeling to nouns, and they often agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. This guide covers how adjectives typically agree, where they usually go, and common exceptions.
Agreement
Adjectives normally agree in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) with the noun they describe. This means you often add an ‑e for feminine and an ‑s for plural, though some adjectives have special forms.
| French Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🌸 La fleur est jolie et colorée. | The flower is pretty and colorful. |
| 🍊 Les fruits sont mûrs et brillants. | The fruits are ripe and shiny. |
| 💧 L’eau est claire et fraîche. | The water is clear and fresh. |
| 🌿 Les feuilles sont vertes et douces. | The leaves are green and soft. |
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Placement
Most descriptive adjectives follow the noun they modify, but a familiar set of common adjectives comes before the noun, and placing an adjective before or after can change the meaning. Adjectives that express beauty, age, goodness, and size often come before.
| French Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🍓 Les fraises rouges sont sur la table. | The red strawberries are on the table. |
| 🍞 Le pain frais sent bon. | The fresh bread smells good. |
| 🍯 Un pot de miel doré brille au soleil. | A jar of golden honey shines in the sun. |
| ☕ Une tasse chaude de thé invite à la détente. | A warm cup of tea invites relaxation. |
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Common Preceding Adjectives
Adjectives like beau, jeune, vieux, bon, and grand typically come before the noun. These adjectives also agree in gender and number with the noun, so they change form accordingly.
| French Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🍬 Un petit gâteau | A small cake |
| 🍰 Un joli dessert | A pretty dessert |
| 🍋 Une citron fraîche | A fresh lemon |
| 🥖 Un grand pain | A large loaf of bread |
| 🍊 Une belle orange | A beautiful orange |
| 🍓 De petites fraises | Some small strawberries |
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Adjectives That Change Meaning
Some adjectives change meaning depending on whether they come before or after the noun. For example, ancien placed before means "former," while after it means "ancient"; cher before means "dear" and after means "expensive."
| French Example | English Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 🍞 Un pain ancien. | An old (aged) loaf of bread. | Before: aged, quality |
| 🏠 Une maison ancienne. | An old (ancient) house. | After: very old |
| 🍊 Une orange propre. | A clean orange. | Before: neat, nice |
| 🧻 Un rouleau de papier propre. | A roll of clean paper. | After: sanitary |
| 🍰 Un gâteau dernier. | The last cake. | Before: final |
| 🕰️ La dernière heure. | The last hour. | After: most recent |
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Agreement with Invariable Adjectives
A few adjectives are invariable and do not change form even when describing feminine or plural nouns, such as adjectives ending in ‑s or ‑x used descriptively, and some borrowed adjectives. Context sometimes matters for whether they remain unchanged.
| French Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🍋 Des citrons orange vif. | Bright orange lemons. |
| 🍞 Des pains coloré rosés. | Pinkish colored breads. |
| 🌸 Des fleurs marron clair. | Light brown flowers. |
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Double Adjectives
When two adjectives describe a noun, one may come before and the other after, or they may be joined by et. The placement can affect emphasis and meaning, and both adjectives must agree with the noun in gender and number.
| French Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| 🍓 Des fraises petites et sucrées. | Small and sweet strawberries. |
| 🥑 Un avocat mûr et crémeux. | A ripe and creamy avocado. |
| 🍊 Des oranges juteuses et colorées. | Juicy and colorful oranges. |
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Summary
Descriptive adjectives enrich meaning by agreeing in gender and number with the noun, and by their placement either before or after the noun. Learn common adjectives that precede the noun and watch for those that change meaning based on position.
Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025