Language/French/Grammar/Adjective—adjective-compounds

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Compound adjectives — Adjective-adjective compounds

Compound adjectives

Like compound nouns, compound adjectives can be made up in a variety of ways. Their internal structure determines the way in which they agree with the noun they modify.

General Rule

Where adjectives are coordinated, both agree with the noun:

Compound Adjective Plural
French sourd-muet  Les enfants sourds-muets ont fait des progrès exceptionnels
English deaf-mute  The deaf-mute children have made exceptional progress
French aigre-doux  J'adore les sauces aigres-douces
English sweet and sour  I adore sweet and sour sauces
French nouveau-né  Les bébés nouveaux-nés sont très fatigants pour leurs parents
English new-born  New-born babies are very exhausting for their parents
French dernier-né  Les filles dernières-nées profitent de la présence de leurs frères et soeurs
English last-born  Last-born girls take advantage of the presence of their brothers and sisters
French grand-ouvert  Ils dorment la bouche grande-ouverte
English wide open  They sleep with their mouths wide open

Exception

Where the first adjective ends in -i, -o, only the second part agrees:

Compound Adjective Plural
French tragi-comique  Toutes ses pièces étaient tragi-comiques
English tragi-comedy  All her plays were tragi-comédies
French franco-allemand  Dans le cadre de l'union européenne, les accords franco-allemands ont duré plus de trente ans
English Franco-German  Within the European framework, the Franco-German agreements have lasted for more than thirty years

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