Language/French/Grammar/Adjectives-which-follow-verbs-or-verbal-expressions

Adjectives which follow verbs or verbal expressions

adjectives must agree in number and gender with the subject

Some verbs and verbal expressions can be followed by adjectives. With the following verbs/verbal expressions, adjectives must agree in number and gender with the subject:

Verbs

French	English
avoir l'air	to seem, appear
être	to be
être considéré comme	to be thought of as
devenir	to become
se montrer	to show oneself to be
paraître	to appear
passer pour	to be considered to be
sembler	to seem

Phrases

• Elle est aussi belle que sa soeur

She is as pretty as her sister

• Les enfants semblent énervés par ce temps

The children seem over-excited by this weather

• Tous les membres de la famille passent pour pauvres

AU the members of the family are thought to be poor

Adjectives must agree in number and gender with the direct object

With the following verbs, mainly those which express an opinion, adjectives must agree in number and gender with the direct object:

Verbs

French	English
croire	to believe
traiter qn de	to call sb sth
considérer	to consider
trouver	to find
deviner	to guess
voir	to see
imaginer	to imagine
se voir	to see oneself
s'imaginer	to imagine oneself

Phrases

• Je croyais la bataille perdue d'avance

I thought the battle was already lost

• Je les devine un peu fâchés par cette histoire

I guess they are a little bit annoyed by this affair

• Vous les voyez toujours petits; mais ils ont grandi

You see them as if they were still little; but they've grown up

• Les enfants traitaient les petits voisins de lâches

The children were calling the little neighbours cowards