Week 2, Day 5: Placement and Agreement of Adjectives Copy Copy

Frederic

An adjective is a describing word that is used to tell us more about a noun; it is usually found next to the noun it describes.

However, when learning a foreign language, it can sometimes be difficult to know where to place the adjective, since it differs depending on the language being learned. Today, we are going to learn about the position of adjectives in French and look at some rules to help you learn.

Listen to Week 2 Day 5 Track 1

Unlike with English grammar rules, in French, most of the adjectives come after the noun they are describing:

Il porte des chaussures noires. (He is wearing black shoes.)

C’est un projet ambitieux. (This is an ambitious project.)

Some adjectives do come before the noun. You can memorize the placement by using this acronym B.R.A.G.S (beauty, rank, age, goodness, size). If they fit those categories then you should placed it in front of the noun.

French Adjectives

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Speaking Practice 1

Some adjectives can come before or after a noun and the meaning of the sentence will depend on the position of the adjective. As you master the French language, you will be able to fully understand how this particular grammar rule works, but for now we will just look at some examples:

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son ancien mari (Her former husband)

une statue ancienne (An antique statue)

sa propre idée (His/her own idea)

une surface propre (A clean surface)

Read and listen to the dialogue:

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Let's take a look at some more important French adjectives.

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Agreement of Adjectives

In French all adjectives must agree in number and gender with the noun.

If a noun is masculine and singular or masculine and plural, the adjective will agree with that and decline accordingly.

Listen to Week 2 Day 5 Track 7

Example:

le tableau coloré (the colored painting)

les tableaux colorés (colored paintings)

If a noun is feminine and singular or feminine and plural, the adjective will agree with that and decline accordingly.

Listen to Week 2 Day 5 Track 8

Example:

la porte ouverte (the open door)

les portes ouvertes (open doors)

In a sentence, the same rule applies.

Speaking Practice 2

Listen to Week 2 Day 5 Track 9

Example:

Le téléviseur bleu est trop petit. (The blue TV set is too small.)

Les téléviseurs bleus sont trop petits. (The blue TV sets are too small.)

La voiture verte est rapide. (The green car is fast.)

Les voitures vertes sont rapides. (The green cars are fast.)

Speaking Practice 3

A Quick Recap of this Lesson

Adjective

In French, unlike English, most of the adjectives come after the noun they are describing.
A few French adjectives are placed before the noun it describes, and the best way to learn these adjectives is to memorize the list.
Some adjectives can come before or after a noun and the meaning of the sentence will change depending on the placement of the adjective.
In French all adjectives must agree in number and gender with the noun.