Adjectives (Leaving Cert French): Revision Notes

Adjectives

Agreement of Adjectives (L'Accord des Adjectifs)

Adjectives describe a noun and must agree with the noun in both gender and number. This means that the form of the adjective will change depending on whether the noun it modifies is masculine, feminine, singular, or plural.

General Rule:

• Feminine singular: Add e to the masculine singular form.
• Masculine plural: Add s to the masculine singular form.
• Feminine plural: Add es to the feminine singular form.

Table of Adjective Agreement:

Masculine Singular	Feminine Singular	Masculine Plural	Feminine Plural	English Translation
petit	petite	petits	petites	small
grand	grande	grands	grandes	big
vert	verte	verts	vertes	green
intéressant	intéressante	intéressants	intéressantes	interesting

Position of Adjectives (La Position des Adjectifs)

General Rule:

In French, most adjectives follow the noun they describe.

• J'ai les yeux bleus. – I have blue eyes.
• Ma sœur préfère les matières pratiques. – My sister prefers practical subjects.

Adjectives That Precede the Noun:

Some common adjectives come before the noun, such as:

• grand (big)
• petit (small)
• bon (good)
• joli (pretty)
• mauvais (bad)
• nouveau (new)
• vieux (old)
• beau (beautiful)

Examples:

• Il y a un petit parc dans ma ville. – There is a small park in my town.
• On espère avoir de bonnes notes. – We hope to get good grades.

Special Cases: "Nouveau," "Vieux," and "Beau"

Masculine Singular Forms:

When these adjectives precede a masculine noun that begins with a vowel or a silent h, they change to:

• nouveau → nouvel
• vieux → vieil
• beau → bel

Examples:

• J'ai un nouvel ami. – I have a new friend.
• Elle a un vieil ordinateur. – She has an old computer.
• C'est un bel homme. – He's a handsome man.

Feminine Forms:

The feminine forms are:

• nouvelle, vieille, belle.

Examples:

• J'ai une nouvelle idée. – I have a new idea.
• J'habite dans une vieille maison. – I live in an old house.
• Les fleurs sont belles. – The flowers are beautiful.

Irregular Adjectives (Les Adjectifs Irréguliers)

Some adjectives do not follow the general rule for agreement. The following table illustrates these irregular adjectives:

Masculine Singular	Feminine Singular	Masculine Plural	Feminine Plural	English Translation
ennuyeux	ennuyeuse	ennuyeux	ennuyeuses	boring
mauvais	mauvaise	mauvais	mauvaises	bad
jaune	jaune	jaunes	jaunes	yellow
premier	première	premiers	premières	first
sportif	sportive	sportifs	sportives	sporty
blanc	blanche	blancs	blanches	white
bon	bonne	bons	bonnes	good
gentil	gentille	gentils	gentilles	kind
ancien	ancienne	anciens	anciennes	old/former

Adjectives That Do Not Change

Some adjectives like:

• marron (brown)
• orange (orange)
• chic (stylish)
• super (super)
• cool (cool)
• extra (extra)

do not change form regardless of the gender or number of the noun.

• J'ai les yeux marron. – I have brown eyes.
• Elle aime les chaussettes orange. – She likes orange socks.

Possessive Adjectives (Les Adjectifs Possessifs)

Possessive adjectives show who something belongs to and must agree with the gender of the noun, not the owner.

Table of Possessive Adjectives:

English	Masculine Singular	Feminine Singular	Plural (Both Genders)
my	mon	ma	mes
your (familiar)	tonne	ta	tes
his/her/its	son	sa	ses
our	notre	notre	nos
your (formal)	votre	votre	vos
their	leur	leur	leurs

Demonstrative Adjectives (Les Adjectifs Démonstratifs)

Demonstrative adjectives are used to point out specific things (this, that, these, those).

Forms of Demonstrative Adjectives:

Masculine (Consonant)	Masculine (Vowel/H)	Feminine	Plural (Both Genders)
ce	cet	cette	ces

Examples:

• Ce garçon est très intelligent. – This/That boy is very intelligent.
• Cet homme est très beau. – This/That man is very handsome.
• Cette fille est très courageuse. – This/That girl is very brave.
• Ces enfants sont mignons. – These/Those children are cute.