Language/French/Grammar/Invariable-adjectives

Adjective agreement with nouns — Invariable adjectives

A number of adjectives do not change either in relation to gender or to number. It is sometimes argued that these are nouns being used adjectivally.

Invariable Adjectives

• un pull marron

a brown pullover

• une jupe marron

a brown skirt

• des chaussures marron

brown shoes

• un carton orange

an orange box

• une voiture orange

an orange car

• des rideaux orange

orange curtains

• un chemisier crème

a cream blouse

• une jupe crème

a cream skirt

• des sous-vêtements crème

cream underwear

• un lecteur de cassettes bon marché

a cheap cassette player

• une planche à roulettes bon marché

a cheap skateboard

• des fruits bon marché

cheap fruit

• un pull cerise

a cherry pullover

• une tapisserie cerise

cherry-coloured wallpaper

• des uniformes cerise

cherry-coloured uniforms

Other invariable adjectives

French	English
angora	angora
baba	flabbergasted
bath	great
cucu	twee
gaga	nuts
gnagnan	childish, immature
kaki	khaki
pop	pop
porno	pornographic
riquiqui	inadequate (too small, too poor etc. depending on context)
rococo	rococo
snob	snobbish
sympa	friendly

Chic adjective

NB: chic is invariable for gender but agrees for number:

• un tailleur chic

a smart suit

• une robe chic / des vêtements chics

a smart dress / smart clothes

Related Lessons

• il or ça alternating with noun phrase subjects
• Weather verbs
• Use of the definite article with seasons
• Verbs with personal subject used impersonally
• Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
• Masculine and feminine forms of adjectives — A change in the final consonant or syllable
• "de" when an adjective precedes the noun
• Plural of words in "Al"
• How to use falloir
• Direct object quantifiers and « en »
• Active Voice and Passive Voice
• Order of unstressed object pronouns when more than one is present
• Omission of the article with nouns in apposition
• Comparatives and Superlatives
• Use of il ils and elle elles