Position of French Adjectives
Position des adjectifs
Position of adjectives | Test
Introduction to adjectives | Test
The use of French adjectives can be difficult, because they may be placed before or after the noun, depending on their type and meaning. This concept can be aggravating for French learners, but with patience and practice you'll be able to describe to your heart's content. The following explanations should cover about 95% of adjectives, but, alas, there are always some exceptions.
I. Placement after the noun
Most descriptive adjectives are placed after the noun they modify. These normally have an
analytical meaning, in that they classify the noun into a certain category. These types of
adjectives include shape, color, taste, nationality, religion, social class, and other
adjectives that describe things like personality
and mood. When a present or
past
participle is used as an adjective, it is always placed after the noun.
Examples
une table ronde - round table
un livre noir - black book
du thé sucré - sweet tea
une femme américaine - American woman
une église catholique - Catholic church
une famille bourgeoise - middle-class family
une histoire intéressante - interesting story
un débat passionné - lively debate
II. Placement before the noun
Certain adjectives are placed before the noun, some which you can memorize with the
acronym "BAGS":
Beauty
Age
Good and bad
Size *except for "grand" with people
(see III, below)
These - and a few others - are considered inherent qualities of the noun:
une jolie fille - pretty girl
un jeune homme - young man
une nouvelle maison - new house
un bon enfant - good child
un petit problème - small problem
les sincères condoléances - sincere condolences
les vagues promesses - vague promises
un gentil garçon - kind boy
In addition, all non-descriptive (i.e., demonstrative, indefinite, interrogative, negative and possessive) adjectives are placed before the noun:
ces livres - these books
chaque personne - each person
quel stylo ? - which pen?
aucune femme - no woman
mon enfant - my child
III. Placement depends on meaning
Some adjectives have both a figurative and an analytic (literal) sense and can thus be placed on
either side of the verb. The figurative adjective is placed before the noun and the
analytic adjective is placed after it. When adjectives fall into this category, the
"BAGS" guideline is overruled.
| Figurative meaning | Analytic/Literal meaning | ||
| mes vertes années | my green (fruitful) years | des légumes verts | green vegetables |
| un grand homme | a great man | un homme grand | a tall man |
| un triste individu | a sad (mean or bad) person | un individu triste | a sad (crying) person |
| mon ancienne école | my old (former) school | mon école ancienne | my old (aged) school |
| un certain regard | a certain (type of) look | une victoire certaine | a certain (assured) victory |
| More Examples | |||
| Adjective Test More French Adjectives |
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