French Adjective Agreement: Rules and Examples
French adjectives must agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify. This crucial aspect of French grammar can be tricky for English speakers, but with practice, it becomes second nature.
Basic Rules
Gender Agreement
Adjectives change form based on whether the noun is masculine or feminine:
- Masculine: un grand livre (a big book)
- Feminine: une grande maison (a big house)
Most adjectives add an -e to form the feminine, but there are exceptions.
Number Agreement
Adjectives also change when modifying plural nouns:
- Singular: un petit chat (a small cat)
- Plural: des petits chats (small cats)
Generally, add -s for plural forms.
Common Patterns
Regular Adjectives
Most adjectives follow a simple pattern:
- Masculine singular: petit
- Feminine singular: petite
- Masculine plural: petits
- Feminine plural: petites
Example: Le petit garçon mange les petites pommes. (The small boy eats the small apples.)
Adjectives Ending in -e
These adjectives only change for number:
- Singular: un livre rouge (a red book)
- Plural: des livres rouges (red books)
Irregular Adjectives
Some adjectives have unique forms:
- Beau (m) → belle (f) → beaux (m.pl) → belles (f.pl)
- Nouveau (m) → nouvelle (f) → nouveaux (m.pl) → nouvelles (f.pl)
Example: Le beau garçon lit un nouveau livre. (The handsome boy reads a new book.)
Position of Adjectives
Most French adjectives come after the noun:
- Une voiture rouge (a red car)
Some common adjectives precede the noun:
- Un petit chien (a small dog)
Remember, practicing with real sentences is key to mastering French adjective agreement.