Language/French/Grammar/Agreement-of-Adjectives

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French → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Adjectives and Adverbs → Agreement of Adjectives

In the previous lesson, we learned about the formation and use of adjectives in French. We discovered that adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns, and they agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. In this lesson, we will delve deeper into the agreement of adjectives with nouns in French. Understanding and mastering this concept is crucial for constructing grammatically correct sentences and expressing ourselves accurately in French.

Agreement of Adjectives with Nouns

In French, adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. This means that if the noun is feminine, the adjective must also be feminine, and if the noun is plural, the adjective must also be plural. Let's explore the rules and patterns for adjective agreement in more detail.

Agreement of Adjectives with Feminine Nouns

When an adjective modifies a singular feminine noun, it usually takes an -e ending to agree with the noun. For example:

• Un chat noir (A black cat) - The adjective "noir" ends in -e to agree with the feminine noun "chat."

However, there are some exceptions to this rule. Some adjectives do not change their form when modifying feminine nouns. These adjectives typically end in -e, -é, or -u. For example:

• Un café chaud (A hot coffee) - The adjective "chaud" does not change its form when modifying the feminine noun "café."

Agreement of Adjectives with Plural Nouns

When an adjective modifies a plural noun, it usually takes an -s ending to agree with the noun. For example:

• Des chiens gentils (Nice dogs) - The adjective "gentils" ends in -s to agree with the plural noun "chiens."

However, just like with feminine nouns, there are exceptions to this rule. Some adjectives do not change their form when modifying plural nouns. These adjectives typically end in -s or -x. For example:

• Des enfants heureux (Happy children) - The adjective "heureux" does not change its form when modifying the plural noun "enfants."

Agreement of Adjectives with Feminine Plural Nouns

When an adjective modifies a feminine plural noun, it usually takes an -es ending to agree with the noun. For example:

• Les fleurs rouges (The red flowers) - The adjective "rouges" ends in -es to agree with the feminine plural noun "fleurs."

Similarly to the previous cases, there are exceptions to this rule. Some adjectives do not change their form when modifying feminine plural nouns. These adjectives typically end in -es or -s. For example:

• Les maisons bleues (The blue houses) - The adjective "bleues" does not change its form when modifying the feminine plural noun "maisons."

Agreement of Adjectives with Nouns Beginning with a Vowel

When an adjective modifies a noun that begins with a vowel, it takes the masculine singular form, regardless of the gender and number of the noun. For example:

• Un animal intelligent (An intelligent animal) - The adjective "intelligent" retains its masculine singular form, even though the noun "animal" is masculine and singular.

Agreement of Adjectives with Compound Nouns

When an adjective modifies a compound noun, it agrees in gender and number with the main noun. The main noun is usually the last noun in the compound. For example:

• Un livre franco-américain (A Franco-American book) - The adjective "franco-américain" agrees with the masculine singular noun "livre."

It's important to note that if the compound noun is made up of a masculine and a feminine noun, the adjective takes the masculine form. For example:

• Une voiture franco-allemande (A Franco-German car) - The adjective "franco-allemande" takes the masculine form, even though the noun "voiture" is feminine.

Agreement of Adjectives with Proper Nouns

When an adjective modifies a proper noun, it usually takes the masculine singular form. This is because proper nouns are considered gender-neutral in French. For example:

• Le Paris romantique (Romantic Paris) - The adjective "romantique" retains its masculine singular form, even though the noun "Paris" is feminine.

Agreement of Adjectives with Indefinite Pronouns

When an adjective modifies an indefinite pronoun, it agrees in gender and number with the noun it replaces. For example:

• Quelques bonnes nouvelles (Some good news) - The adjective "bonnes" agrees with the feminine plural noun "nouvelles" that the indefinite pronoun "quelques" replaces.

Agreement of Adjectives with Numbers

When an adjective modifies a number, it agrees in gender and number with the noun it quantifies. For example:

• Deux grandes maisons (Two big houses) - The adjective "grandes" agrees with the feminine plural noun "maisons" that the number "deux" quantifies.

Exceptions and Irregularities

While we have discussed the general rules and patterns for adjective agreement in French, it's important to note that there are exceptions and irregularities. Here are a few common exceptions to be aware of:

• Some adjectives have irregular feminine forms. For example:
  • Un grand arbre (A big tree) - Une grande maison (A big house)
  • Un bon livre (A good book) - Une bonne idée (A good idea)
  • Un gros chien (A big dog) - Une grosse voiture (A big car)

• Some adjectives have irregular plural forms. For example:
  • Un nouvel ami (A new friend) - De nouveaux amis (Some new friends)
  • Un bel homme (A handsome man) - De beaux paysages (Some beautiful landscapes)
  • Un vieux livre (An old book) - De vieux objets (Some old objects)

• Some adjectives do not change their form at all. These are called invariable adjectives. For example:
  • Un élégant costume (An elegant suit) - Des élégants costumes (Elegant suits)
  • Un orange fruit (An orange fruit) - Des orange fruits (Orange fruits)

It's important to familiarize yourself with these exceptions and irregularities in order to use adjectives correctly in French.

Practice Exercises

To reinforce your understanding of adjective agreement, let's practice with some exercises. For each sentence, choose the correct form of the adjective in parentheses to agree with the noun.

1. J'ai acheté une (nouveau / nouvelle) voiture. 2. Les (petit / petite) filles jouent dans le parc. 3. Il a vu deux (joli / jolie) maisons dans cette rue. 4. Nous avons mangé des (délicieux / délicieuse) gâteaux. 5. Tu as rencontré un (sympathiques / sympathique) professeur de français. 6. Je suis allé à la (beau / belle) plage hier. 7. Les (grands / grandes) arbres du parc sont magnifiques. 8. Elle a commandé une (bon / bonne) soupe à l'oignon.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have now mastered the agreement of adjectives with nouns in French. By understanding and applying the rules and patterns we have discussed, you will be able to construct grammatically correct sentences and communicate more effectively in French. In the next lesson, we will explore the formation and use of comparative and superlative adjectives. Keep up the great work!

Table of Contents - French Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Alphabet and Pronunciation

• The French Alphabet
• French Vowels and Consonants
• French Accent Marks
• Introductions and Greetings

  ---

Nouns and Articles

• Gender and Number of Nouns
• Definite and Indefinite Articles
• Partitive Articles

  ---

Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense of Regular Verbs
• Common Irregular Verbs
• Passé Composé
• Futur Proche

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Agreement of Adjectives
• Comparative and Superlative Adjectives
• Formation and Use of Adverbs

  ---

Negation and Interrogation

• Negation
• Interrogation

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Cardinal and Ordinal Numbers
• Time and Dates

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Romantic Relationships

  ---

Food and Drink

• Food and Eating Habits
• Beverages and Drinking Habits

  ---

Hobbies and Interests

• Sports and Fitness Activities
• Music and Entertainment

  ---

Geography and Travel

• Regions and Cities in France
• Transportation and Accommodation

  ---

French Culture and Arts

• French Cuisine and Gastronomy
• French Cinema and Literature

  ---

French History and Society

• Major Events in French History
• French Society and Lifestyle

Sources

• French Grammar: Adjective Agreement : The LEAF Project
• Agreement of adjectives I • French Grammar • Chatterbug
• French Adjectives - Lawless French Grammar - Les adjectifs

Other Lessons

• Directly transitive verbs
• Common Irregular Verbs
• Beau VS Bel
• Verbs which take noun + adjective or noun + noun complements
• Plural forms of adjectives — Adjectives which end in eau
• Differences in the use of numbers in French and English Kings, queens and popes
• il or ça alternating with noun phrase subjects
• Plural
• Gender of Nouns Names of ships and restaurants
• Conjugation group 3 — verbs with infinitives which end in —re

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