Rules and usage
French adjectives must match the noun they describe in both gender and number. This agreement affects spelling, and the position of the adjective relative to the noun follows specific patterns that are essential for correct French writing and speaking.
Gender and Number Agreement
- All adjectives change form to match the gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) of the noun they modify.
- Masculine singular: un livre intéressant (an interesting book)
- Feminine singular: une histoire intéressante (an interesting story)
- Masculine plural: des livres intéressants (interesting books)
- Feminine plural: des histoires intéressantes (interesting stories)
- Some adjectives have identical masculine and feminine forms: facile (easy), moderne (modern), rapide (fast). These change only for number: un problème facile, une question facile, des problèmes faciles, des questions faciles.
✅ Positive sentence examples
| French | English |
|---|
| La robe rouge est belle. | The red dress is beautiful. |
| Les petits enfants jouent dehors. | The small children play outside. |
⛔ Negative sentence examples
| French | English |
|---|
| Ce n'est pas un beau jour. | It's not a beautiful day. |
| Je n'aime pas les couleurs sombres. | I don't like dark colors. |
❓ Question sentence examples
| French | English |
|---|
| Est-ce une belle journée? | Is it a beautiful day? |
| Sont-elles les grandes maisons? | Are they the big houses? |