An adjective is a word that modifies a noun. There are many types of adjectives: descriptive adjectives, verbal adjectives, demonstrative adjectives, relative adjectives etc.
In this chapter we will study the descriptive or qualifying adjectives.
Let’s start with the following examples:
J’ai acheté un grand coffre à jouets.
I bought a big toy chest.
“grand” is a descriptive adjective. It modifies or describes the noun “coffre”.
Notice that the adjective in the sentence above preceded the noun.
Elle a des parents très sévères.
She has very strict parents.
“sévères” is a descriptive adjective. It modifies the noun “parents”.
Notice that the adjective in the sentence above followed the noun.
Remember: Unlike in English, adjectives related to nationality, religion and ethnicity in French are not capitalized, i.e. they don't start with a capital letter.
We generally form the plural of adjectives by adding an “s” to the end of the singular adjective. However, there are many adjectives that form their plural differently depending on their ending. In this lesson, we will study the adjectives ending in “eu”, plural nouns and adjective agreement and adjectives related to colors.
The adjectives ending in “eu” form their plural by adding an “s” to the singular adjective. For example:
Exception:
If the adjective describes two nouns (feminine, masculine or both), the rules are the following:
1. When the two nouns are masculine, the adjective is masculine plural.
Pierre et son frère sont gentils.
Pierre and his brother are nice.
Mon voisin Alex et son ami sont très courageux.
My neighbor Alex and his friend are very brave.
2. When the two nouns are feminine, the adjective is feminine plural.
Fabienne et sa soeur sont gentilles.
Fabienne and her sister are nice.
Ma voisine Christine et son amie sont très courageuses. My neighbor Christine and her friend are very brave.
3. When the two nouns are of different gender, the adjective is masculine plural.
Pierre et Fabienne sont très gentils.
Pierre and Fabienne are very nice.
The rules are the following:
1. When the colors are adjectives which do not derive their names from objects or things of the same color, the adjectives agree in number and in gender with the nouns.
The following adjectives do not derive their name from objects or things of the same color: bleu, vert, blanc, noir, jaune, violet, gris ... so they agree with the noun.
Il a acheté un manteau jaune.
He bought a yellow coat.
Il a acheté trois manteaux jaunes.
He bought three yellow coats.
Cette robe blanche est originale.
This white gown is original.
Ces robes blanches sont originales.
These white gowns are original.
Il a porté un beau chapeau vert.
He wore a nice green hat.
Il ne porte que des chapeaux verts.
He only wears green hats.
Le papier peint de la chambre est violet.
The wallpaper of the room is purple.
Les gants qu’il m’a apportés sont violets.
The gloves he got me are purple.
2. When the colors are adjectives which derive their names from objects or things of the same color, the adjectives stay unchanged whether the noun is in plural or in feminine form or both.
Exception: The following adjectives which names derive from objects or things of the same color must agree with the nouns they refer to: pourpre, mauve, rose, écarlate, fauve, incarnate.
For example:
3. When the adjectives are composed of two or more adjectives or of an adjective and a noun, they remain unchanged even if the noun to which they refer is in the plural or in the feminine form or both.
In this chapter we will study the descriptive or qualifying adjectives.
Let’s start with the following examples:
J’ai acheté un grand coffre à jouets.
I bought a big toy chest.
“grand” is a descriptive adjective. It modifies or describes the noun “coffre”.
Notice that the adjective in the sentence above preceded the noun.
Elle a des parents très sévères.
She has very strict parents.
“sévères” is a descriptive adjective. It modifies the noun “parents”.
Notice that the adjective in the sentence above followed the noun.
Remember: Unlike in English, adjectives related to nationality, religion and ethnicity in French are not capitalized, i.e. they don't start with a capital letter.
We generally form the plural of adjectives by adding an “s” to the end of the singular adjective. However, there are many adjectives that form their plural differently depending on their ending. In this lesson, we will study the adjectives ending in “eu”, plural nouns and adjective agreement and adjectives related to colors.
Adjectives ending in -eu
The adjectives ending in “eu” form their plural by adding an “s” to the singular adjective. For example:
| Singular | Plural |
| hébreu | hébreux |
Exception:
| Singular | Plural |
| bleu | bleus |
Plural nouns and adjective agreement
If the adjective describes two nouns (feminine, masculine or both), the rules are the following:
1. When the two nouns are masculine, the adjective is masculine plural.
Pierre et son frère sont gentils.
Pierre and his brother are nice.
Mon voisin Alex et son ami sont très courageux.
My neighbor Alex and his friend are very brave.
2. When the two nouns are feminine, the adjective is feminine plural.
Fabienne et sa soeur sont gentilles.
Fabienne and her sister are nice.
Ma voisine Christine et son amie sont très courageuses. My neighbor Christine and her friend are very brave.
3. When the two nouns are of different gender, the adjective is masculine plural.
Pierre et Fabienne sont très gentils.
Pierre and Fabienne are very nice.
Adjectives related to color
The rules are the following:
1. When the colors are adjectives which do not derive their names from objects or things of the same color, the adjectives agree in number and in gender with the nouns.
The following adjectives do not derive their name from objects or things of the same color: bleu, vert, blanc, noir, jaune, violet, gris ... so they agree with the noun.
Il a acheté un manteau jaune.
He bought a yellow coat.
Il a acheté trois manteaux jaunes.
He bought three yellow coats.
Cette robe blanche est originale.
This white gown is original.
Ces robes blanches sont originales.
These white gowns are original.
Il a porté un beau chapeau vert.
He wore a nice green hat.
Il ne porte que des chapeaux verts.
He only wears green hats.
Le papier peint de la chambre est violet.
The wallpaper of the room is purple.
Les gants qu’il m’a apportés sont violets.
The gloves he got me are purple.
2. When the colors are adjectives which derive their names from objects or things of the same color, the adjectives stay unchanged whether the noun is in plural or in feminine form or both.
| Singular | Plural |
| un ballon orange | des ballons orange |
| un pull marron | des pulls marron |
| un oeil noisette | des yeux noisette |
Exception: The following adjectives which names derive from objects or things of the same color must agree with the nouns they refer to: pourpre, mauve, rose, écarlate, fauve, incarnate.
For example:
| Singular | Plural |
| un tissu rose | des tissus roses |
| un sac pourpre | des sacs pourpres |
| une fleur écarlate | des fleurs écarlates |
3. When the adjectives are composed of two or more adjectives or of an adjective and a noun, they remain unchanged even if the noun to which they refer is in the plural or in the feminine form or both.
| Singular | Plural |
| un pantalon bleu ciel | des pantalons bleu ciel |
| une veste vert pomme | des vestes vert pomme |
| une robe vert vif | des robes vert vif |
| un manteau rouge foncé | des manteaux rouge foncé |