Grammaire 1: la position des adjectifs
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On étudie !
As seen elsewhere, an adjective describes (modifies) a noun or a pronoun: Look at the old house, it is blue! In English, adjectives are always placed before the noun.
(a) Most French adjectives follow the noun they modify.
C’est une soirée amusante (It’s a fun party.)
[n. + adj.]
Voilà un appartement lumineux. (Here is a bright appartment.)
[n. + est + adj.]
(b) Some adjectives, however, precede the noun they modify.
Je suis un bon étudiant. (I’m a good student.)
[adj. + n.]
C’est un nouveau sofa. (It’s a new sofa).
[adj. + n.]
PRE-nouns adjectives
Below are common examples of pre-noun adjectives. To help you remember which adjectives go before the noun, you can use the acronym BANGS, which stands for Beauty, Age, Number, Goodness and Size.
Adjectifs qui se placent avant le nom
| acronyme | adjectif (masculin/féminin) | anglais |
| B (beauty) | beau/belle, joli/jolie | (beautiful, pretty) |
| A (age) |
nouveau/nouvelle, vieux/vieille, jeune |
(new, old, young) |
| N (number) |
premier/première, deuxième, troisième, etc. |
(first, second, third, etc.) |
| G (goodness) | bon/bonne, mauvais/mauvaise | (good, bad) |
| S (size) | petit/petite, grand/grande | (short or small, big or tall) |
| (etc.) | + même, autre |
(same, other) |
Notes:
Regardless of its placement, all adjectives agree in gender (masculin, féminin) and in number (singulier, pluriel) with the noun they modify. In the table above, you have probably notes that some adjectives have the same form in masculine and féminine (such as deuxième, même, autre).
The following five adjectives are irregular because they (a) precede the nouns they modify, (b) they have irregular feminine forms and (c) they have three different masculine forms.
adjectifs irréguliers
| Singulier masculin | Singulier féminin | Pluriel masculin | Pluriel féminin | Anglais |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| beau, *bel* | belle | beaux | belles | beautiful |
| nouveau, *nouvel* | nouvelle | nouveaux | nouvelles | new |
| vieux, *vieil* | vieille | vieux | veilles | old |
*The singular, masculine form of these adjectives must end with an “l” (see above) when followed by masculine singular nouns that begin with a vowel or silent h.*
un nouveau coussin (a new cushion)
un nouvel album (a new album)
un beau salon (a beautiful living room)
un bel endroit (a beautiful place)
un vieux monsieur (an old man)
un vieil homme (an old man)
