Adjective agreement and position

Kurz erklärt

In French, an adjective usually changes to match the noun it describes in gender and number. A common pattern is to add -e for a feminine noun and -s for a plural noun. Most descriptive adjectives come after the noun, unlike in English. Some common, often short adjectives come before it.

Bildung

masculine singular: petit; feminine singular: petite; masculine plural: petits; feminine plural: petites. Usual order: noun + adjective; some common short adjectives use adjective + noun.

Verwendung

• Use the feminine form with a feminine noun.
• Use the plural form when the noun is plural.
• Place most adjectives of color and description after the noun.
• Place common adjectives such as petit, grand, jeune, and vieux before the noun.

Beispiele

• J’ai un petit appartement. — I have a small apartment.
• Elle porte une robe noire. — She is wearing a black dress.
• Nous habitons dans une grande maison. — We live in a large house.
• Les portes sont blanches. — The doors are white.

Typischer Fehler

❌ J’ai deux voiture rouge.

✅ J’ai deux voitures rouges.

English adjectives do not agree with nouns, but in French both the noun and the adjective take the plural form here.

Merke

Make the adjective agree with the noun first, then check its position. Most descriptive adjectives follow the noun.