Adverbs used as adjectives
When French adverbs are used as adjectives, they are invariable.
C'est une femme bien - She's a nice woman
Ils sont mal ce matin - They are sick this morning
La porte avant est ouverte - The front door is open
There are only a few French adverbs that can be used as adjectives. If you know of any others, please let me know on the forum and I will add them here.
allegro allegro (quick, lively tempo)
arrière back, rear
avant front
bien nice, decent
debout standing, up
incognito incognito
mal wrong, bad, sick, uncomfortable
Nouns used as adjectives
When a French noun is used as an adjective, it is invariable. (Note that this is different from compound nouns)
des mamans gâteau - soft/indulgent mothers
les ID utilisateur - user IDs
les opérations escargot - rolling blockades
les services Web - internet services
les câbles vidéo - video cables
la porte sud - south door
In addition, noun clauses used as adjectives do not agree with the subject. However, any adjectives in the noun clause will follow the normal rules of agreement within the clause - they will agree with the noun.
Ces livres sont bon marché - These books are cheap
Cette table est meilleur marché - This table is cheaper
Elle est très collet monté - She is very straight-laced
Nous avons une porte à va-et-vient - We have a swing door
Il est de bonne humeur - He's in a good mood
Prefixes used as adjectives
When used as adjectives, French prefixes do not agree with the nouns they modify.
La fête va être extra ! - The party is going to be great!
J'ai besoin d'une jupe maxi - I need a long skirt
Tes frères sont super - Your brothers are great
There are five prefixes commonly used as adjectives, and they are usually informal:
| extra | great, first-rate, top-quality |
| hyper | excessive, to a very high degree |
| maxi | maximum, long |
| mini | small |
| super | great, terrific |
