Language/French/Grammar/Masculine-and-feminine-forms-of-adjectives-—-A-change-in-the-final-consonant-or-syllable
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Masculine and feminine forms of adjectives — A change in the final consonant or syllable
In the following cases, addition of final -e is accompanied by a change in the final consonant or the whole of the final syllable:
Adjective Ending | Masculine | Feminine | English |
---|---|---|---|
-ais/aîche | frais | fraîche | fresh |
-aux/ausse | faux | fausse | false |
-er/ère | premier | première | first |
dernier | dernière | last | |
étranger | étrangère | foreign | |
-eux/euse | heureux | heureuse | happy |
amoureux | amoureuse | in love | |
nerveux | nerveuse | nervous | |
affreux | affreuse | frightful | |
peureux | peureuse | frightened | |
-eux/-eille | vieux | vieille | old |
-eur/euse | voleur | voleuse | dishonest |
flatteur | flatteuse | flattering | |
trompeur | trompeuse | misleading | |
moqueur | moqueuse | likes to make fun of others | |
joueur | joueuse | playful | |
-eur/eresse | vengeur | vengeresse | vengeful |
-eur/rice | consolateur | consolatrice | consoling |
observateur | observatrice | observant | |
créateur | créatrice | creative | |
conservateur | conservatrice | conservative | |
-eau/elle | nouveau | nouvelle | new |
beau | belle | beautiful | |
jumeau | jumelle | twin | |
-c/che | sec | sèche | dry |
blanc | blanche | white | |
franc | franche | frank | |
-f/ve | neuf | neuve | new |
actif | active | active | |
bref | brève | brief | |
créatif | créative | creative | |
vif | vive | lively | |
-in/igne | bénin | bénigne | benign |
malin | maligne | sharp, clever | |
-ong/ongue | long | longue | long |
-ou/olle | mou | molle | soft |
fou | folle | mad | |
-oux/ouce | 1doux | douce | gentle |
-oux/ousse | roux | rousse | red-haired |
NB: beau, fou, mou, nouveau, vieux also have a special masculine form - bel, fol,mol, nouvel, vieil - which appears when a following noun begins with a vowel or a so-called 'silent h':
French | English |
---|---|
un bel effet | a fine effect |
un fol espoir | a vain hope |
un nouvel homme | a new, a changed man |
un mol effort | a weak effort |
un vieil hélicoptère | an old helicopter |
Other Lessons[edit | edit source]
- il or ça alternating with noun phrase subjects
- The irregular verb être
- ensuite VS puis
- Adjectives which normally occur before the noun
- Quand utiliser "et" ou "est" ?
- Differences in the use of numbers in French and English hundreds thousands millions billions
- Verbs which take noun + adjective or noun + noun complements
- Changes in the stem form of some —er conjugation verbs
- Use of ce, cela, ça as neutral pronouns
- Masculine Nouns Ending in ée
- Present Tense
- Nouns which have the same spoken form but two different written forms
- Directly transitive verbs without objects
- Pronominal Verbs Agreement
- How to use « il s'agit de » in French