French Attributive Adjectives
Adjectifs épithètes
Attributive adjectives are used to describe or emphasize some characteristic of the noun they modify. Known as épithètes in French, attributive adjectives are a subcategory of qualifying (descriptive) adjectives. The defining characteristic of attributive adjectives is that they are joined to the noun they modify - immediately preceding or following it with no verb in between.
| une jeune fille | young girl |
| un nouveau livre | new book |
| un petit problème | small problem |
| un bon dîner | good dinner |
The attributive adjective emphasizes some aspect of the noun which is essential to the meaning of the noun but not necessarily to the sentence. That is, the épithète can be dropped without changing the essential meaning of the sentence:
J'ai acheté un nouveau livre rouge --> J'ai acheté un nouveau livre --> J'ai acheté un livre.
Both nouveau and rouge are attributive adjectives, and both can be dropped without hurting the essential meaning of the sentence: I bought a book. Including new and red simply provides additional information about the book that I bought.
Types
There are three types of attributive adjectives:
| Type | Expresses | Examples | |
| 1. | Épithète de nature | Permanent, inherent quality | un pâle visage une pomme rouge |
| 2. | Épithète de caractère | Individual, distinguishing quality | un cher ami un homme honnête |
| 3. | Épithète de circonstance | Temporary, current quality | une jeune fille un garçon triste |
Agreement
Attributive adjectives must agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify.
Placement
Like all descriptive adjectives, the majority of épithètes follow the noun they modify. However, épithètes precede the noun when
- the adjective + noun is considered a single unit of meaning
- the adjective is describing rather than qualifying (limiting) the meaning of the noun
- it just "sounds better"
Here are some general guidelines (not hard and fast rules) for determining whether an épithète should precede or follow the noun it modifies:
| Precede | Follow | |
| Single-syllable adjective + multi-syllable noun | vs | Multi-syllable adjective + single-syllable noun |
| Épithètes de nature | vs | Épithètes de circonstance |
| Figurative or subjective meaning | vs | Literal or objective meaning (see fickle French adjectives) |
| Size and beauty (petit, joli...) | vs | Other physical qualities (rouge, carré, blond...) |
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| Ordinal adjective (premier, deuxième...) |
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Categories + relationships (religious, social, historical...) |
| Age (jeune, vieux, nouveau...) | Past and present participles as adjectives (lu, courant...) | |
| Goodness (bon, mauvais...) | Modified adjectives (un raisin grand comme un abricot) | |
| Still unsure? See my lesson on the position of French adjectives | ||
| Fickle French adjectives More French adjectives |
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