Adjectives in French add color and detail to nouns by describing qualities like appearance, size, and personality. They usually agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. This guide covers common adjectives, placement rules, and special cases.
Basic Adjectives
Basic descriptive adjectives name visible or easily imagined qualities such as color, shape, and size. Learning a few common ones will help you give simple descriptions.
| French Word(s) | English Word(s) | |
|---|---|---|
| grand / grande | big / tall | |
| petit / petite | small / little | |
| beau / belle | beautiful / handsome | |
| vieux / vieille | old | |
| jeune | young | |
| rouge | red | |
| bleu / bleue | blue | |
| nouveau / nouvelle | new | |
| drôle | funny |
Gender and Number
Adjectives normally change form to match the noun's gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural). This means adding an -e for feminine and an -s for plural when required.
| French Word(s) | English Word(s) | |
|---|---|---|
| petit | small (m) | |
| petite | small (f) | |
| petits | small (m plural) | |
| petites | small (f plural) |
Placement
Most descriptive adjectives follow the noun they modify, but some common adjectives come before the noun. Placement can also affect meaning, so paying attention to whether the adjective is before or after the noun is important.
| French Word(s) | English Word(s) | |
|---|---|---|
| un chien noir | a black dog | |
| un petit chien | a small dog | |
| un chien petit | a dog that is small (emphasis) |
BAGS Adjectives
Adjectives of Beauty, Age, Goodness, and Size (BAGS) typically come before the noun when describing those qualities. Adjectives not in BAGS usually follow the noun.
| Category | French Word(s) | English Word(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beauty | beau / belle | beautiful / handsome | |
| Age | vieux / vieille | old | |
| Goodness | bon / bonne | good | |
| Size | grand / grande | big / tall |
Meaning Changes
Some adjectives change meaning depending on whether they come before or after the noun. For example, ancien placed before the noun means "former," while after the noun it means "very old."
| Position | French Sentence | English Sentence | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before | un ancien professeur | a former teacher | |
| After | un professeur ancien | a very old teacher |
Agreement with Compound Nouns
When an adjective describes a compound noun, it agrees with the main noun in gender and number. If the compound noun includes a preposition, the adjective usually matches the noun closest to it.
| French Word(s) | English Word(s) | |
|---|---|---|
| des sacs à dos lourds | heavy backpacks | |
| des tasses en porcelaine blanches | white porcelain cups |
Summary
Descriptive adjectives in French agree in gender and number with the noun they modify, usually follow the noun, but common adjectives of beauty, age, goodness, and size (BAGS) come before. Placement can change meaning, so pay attention to position.
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025