Language/French/Grammar/Agreement-of-Adjectives

French Grammar → Adjectives and Adverbs → Agreement of Adjectives

Agreement of Adjectives

In French, adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. This means that their form changes depending on the gender and number of the noun. In this lesson, you will learn the rules for the agreement of adjectives in French.

Agreement of Adjectives with Singular Nouns

Feminine Singular Nouns

When an adjective modifies a feminine singular noun, the form of the adjective must be feminine singular. This means that an "e" must be added to the masculine form of the adjective.

For example:

French	Pronunciation	English
une voiture rapide	/yn vwa.tyʁ ʁa.pid/	a fast car
une grande maison	/yn ɡʁɑ̃d mɛ.zɔ̃/	a big house

Note that there are some adjectives that do not add an "e" to form the feminine singular. These adjectives have identical forms for both masculine and feminine.

For example:

French	Pronunciation	English
un chat noir	/œ̃ ʃa nwaʁ/	a black cat
un chien courageux	/œ̃ ʃjɛ̃ ku.ʁa.ʒø/	a brave dog

Masculine Singular Nouns

When an adjective modifies a masculine singular noun, the form of the adjective must be masculine singular. There is no change to the masculine form of the adjective.

For example:

French	Pronunciation	English
un livre intéressant	/œ̃ livʁ ɛ̃.te.ʁɛ.sɑ̃/	an interesting book
un homme intelligent	/œ̃ ɔm ɛ̃.te.li.ʒɑ̃/	an intelligent man

Agreement of Adjectives with Plural Nouns

Feminine Plural Nouns

When an adjective modifies a feminine plural noun, the form of the adjective must be feminine plural. This means that an "es" must be added to the feminine singular form of the adjective.

For example:

French	Pronunciation	English
des robes vertes	/de ʁɔb vɛʁt/	green dresses
des chaussures neuves	/de ʃo.zyʁ nøv/	new shoes

Note that there are some adjectives that do not add an "es" to form the feminine plural. These adjectives have identical forms for both masculine and feminine.

For example:

French	Pronunciation	English
des chats noirs	/de ʃa nwaʁ/	black cats
des chiens courageux	/de ʃjɛ̃ ku.ʁa.ʒø/	brave dogs

Masculine Plural Nouns

When an adjective modifies a masculine plural noun, the form of the adjective must be masculine plural. This means that an "s" must be added to the masculine singular form of the adjective.

For example:

French	Pronunciation	English
des livres intéressants	/de livʁ ɛ̃.te.ʁɛ.sɑ̃/	interesting books
des hommes intelligents	/de ɔm ɛ̃.te.li.ʒɑ̃/	intelligent men

Exceptions to the Rules

There are some irregular adjectives that do not follow the rules for agreement of adjectives in French. Here are a few examples:

French	Pronunciation	English
un bras droit	/œ̃ bʁa dʁwa/	a right arm (the adjective is always masculine singular)
des gens heureux	/de ʒɑ̃z œ.ʁø/	happy people (the adjective stays the same for masculine and feminine)

Practice

Now that you understand the rules for the agreement of adjectives, it's time to practice!

• Modify the following nouns with the correct form of the adjective:

1. un garçon triste
2. des filles sportives
3. une journée ensoleillée
4. une maison petite
5. des étoiles brillantes

Sources

• French grammar
• French adjectives

Table of Contents - French Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Alphabet and Pronunciation

• The French Alphabet
• French Vowels and Consonants
• French Accent Marks
• Introductions and Greetings

  ---

Nouns and Articles

• Gender and Number of Nouns
• Definite and Indefinite Articles
• Partitive Articles

  ---

Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense of Regular Verbs
• Common Irregular Verbs
• Passé Composé
• Futur Proche

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Agreement of Adjectives
• Comparative and Superlative Adjectives
• Formation and Use of Adverbs

  ---

Negation and Interrogation

• Negation
• Interrogation

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Cardinal and Ordinal Numbers
• Time and Dates

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Romantic Relationships

  ---

Food and Drink

• Food and Eating Habits
• Beverages and Drinking Habits

  ---

Hobbies and Interests

• Sports and Fitness Activities
• Music and Entertainment

  ---

Geography and Travel

• Regions and Cities in France
• Transportation and Accommodation

  ---

French Culture and Arts

• French Cuisine and Gastronomy
• French Cinema and Literature

  ---

French History and Society

• Major Events in French History
• French Society and Lifestyle

Related Lessons

• Directly transitive verbs
• Common Irregular Verbs
• Beau VS Bel
• Verbs which take noun + adjective or noun + noun complements
• Plural forms of adjectives — Adjectives which end in eau
• Differences in the use of numbers in French and English Kings, queens and popes
• il or ça alternating with noun phrase subjects
• Plural
• Gender of Nouns Names of ships and restaurants
• Conjugation group 3 — verbs with infinitives which end in —re