The Adjective / L’adjectif

Worksheets and exercises on the topic of "The Adjective / L’adjectif" for the first year of French in high school and middle school.

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Adjectives in French follow specific rules regarding their position, gender, and number agreement with the nouns they describe.

In most cases, adjectives are placed after the noun they modify. However, some adjectives are exceptions and appear before the noun. These exceptions, along with irregular forms, need to be memorized.

Examples of adjectives that come before the noun:

• petit (small), grand (big), bon (good), etc.
• une petite maison (a small house)
• un grand homme (a great man)

Adjectives in French must agree with the gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) of the noun they describe.

Forming the Feminine:

• Add -e to the masculine form:
  • grand → grande (big)
• If the masculine form ends in -e, it remains unchanged:
  • rouge → rouge (red)

Forming the Plural:

• Add -s to the singular form:
  • grand → grands (big, masculine, plural)
  • grande → grandes (big, feminine, plural)
• If the masculine singular form ends in -s, it remains unchanged:
  • français → français (French, masculine, singular and plural)

Some adjectives have irregular forms for gender and number. These forms are exceptions and must be memorized. Examples include:

• beau (beautiful) → belle (feminine) → beaux (masculine plural) → belles (feminine plural)
• nouveau (new) → nouvelle → nouveaux → nouvelles
• vieux (old) → vieille → vieux → vieilles

Certain adjectives change meaning depending on whether they appear before or after the noun.

Example: ancien

• une maison ancienne (an old house)
• un ancien professeur (a former teacher)

Using adjectives correctly in French requires understanding their position and mastering gender and number agreement. Regular practice, along with exposure to French texts, will help internalize these rules and use adjectives more intuitively.