Language/French/Grammar/Adjectives-which-normally-follow-the-noun

Adjectives which normally follow the noun

Adjectives modifying the noun

Most French adjectives follow the noun. But there is a small set which normally precede, and another set which regularly appear before and after the noun, often with a change of meaning.

Since the majority of French adjectives normally follow the noun, English speakers really only need to learn those which can precede. However, here are some typical classes of adjectives which almost always follow the noun:

Colour adjectives

bleu, gris, vert, blanc, noir, violet, etc.:

• un manteau gris une souris grise

a grey coat a grey mouse

• un gazon vert une veste verte

a green lawn a green jacket

• un nuage noir une robe noire

a black cloud a black dress

Adjectives of nationality

français 'French', britannique 'British', américain 'American', grec 'Greek', tunisien 'Tunisian', etc.:

• un livre français de la bière française

a French book French beer

• du vin algérien une ville algérienne

Algerian wine an Algerian town

• du fromage grec une antiquité grecque

Greek cheese a Greek antique

NB: Adjectives of nationality in French begin with a small letter, unlike English. When français, britannique, etc., are used as nouns, however, they begin with a capital letter. Compare: Elle est française 'She is French' with C'est une Française 'She is a Frenchwoman'.

Adjectives of shape or form:

rond 'round', carré 'square', rectangulaire 'rectangular', oval 'oval', etc.:

• un bureau carré

a square desk

• un plateau rond

a round tray

• un cadre rectangulaire

a rectangular frame

• une boîte carrée

a square box

• une table ronde

a round table

• une cour rectangulaire

a rectangular courtyard

Adjectives describing religious affiliation

icon 'Anglican', catholique 'Catholic', musulman 'Muslim', protestant, ‘Protestant', orthodoxe 'Orthodox', juif 'Jewish', etc.:

• un prêtre catholique

a Catholic priest

• un père juif

a Jewish father

• un garçon musulman

a Muslim boy

• une jeune fille catholique

a Catholic girl

• une mère juive

a Jewish mother

• une jeune fille musulmane

a Muslim girl

Adjectives which relate to a time or place of origin

• une église médiévale

a medieval church

• une ambiance citadine

an urban atmosphere

• un paysage rural

a rural landscape

un accent campagnard a rustic accent

Past and present participles

• un mariage forcé

a forced marriage

• un élève brillant

a brilliant pupil

• un voyage fatigant

a tiring journey

• une grille rouillée

a rusty gate

• une étoile brillante

a brilliant star

• une voiture puissante

a powerful car

NB: Present participles, which are formed by adding -ant to the first person plural stem of a verb (e.g. amus-ons/amusant, ralentiss-ons/ralentissant, devons/devant, etc.), can function both as a verb in a subordinate clause, and as an adjective. As verbs in subordinate clauses present participles are invariable:

• En enfilant son manteau, elle a dit au revoir

Putting her coat on, she said goodbye

• J'ai rencontré des touristes prenant l'air sur l'esplanade

I met some tourists taking a stroll along the promenade

As adjectives they agree in gender and number with the noun they modify, as in the examples above: une étoile brillante. A number of present participles are also spelled differently when they function as verbs in subordinate clauses, and when they are adjectives. Some common cases are:

Verb in subordinate clause		Adjective
convainquant	convincing	convaincant	convincing
différant	differing	différent	different
équivalant	being equivalent to	équivalent	equivalent
fatiguant	tiring	fatigant	tiring
négligeant	neglecting	négligent	negligent
précédant	preceding	precedent	previous

Related Lessons

• Verbs with personal subject used impersonally
• Order of multiple pronouns with imperatives
• Coordination of subject pronouns
• Unstressed and Stressed Pronouns
• How to use Be
• Talk about Prices
• Relations between verbs and their complements
• Omission of the article in noun constructions linked by de
• Easy future
• Adjectives used as adverbs
• Adverbs
• Wrong use of neutral le in phrases where 'it' occurs in English
• Differences in the use of numbers in French and English Page numbers, bus numbers
• Types of noun
• Plural of words in "Al"