Adjectives, gender and number
An explanation of how French adjectives must agree with the nouns that they describe
Agreement of adjectives
adjectiveUsed to describe nouns and must agree with the nouns they are describing. describe a nounThe name of a thing such as an object, a place or a person. Nouns are often described as naming words. and all French adjectives agree with the noun in genderNouns in French or Spanish are classified into two groups: masculine or feminine. Each noun therefore has a 'gender'. and number.
The general rule is that for feminineAll nouns in French are either masculine or feminine. nouns, add -e, for masculineAll nouns in French are either masculine or feminine.pluralMore than one of an item. nouns, add -s, and for feminine plural nouns, add -es.
| Masculine singular | Feminine singular | Masculine plural | Feminine plural | English |
| petit | petite | petits | petites | small |
| grand | grande | grands | grandes | big |
| vert | verte | verts | vertes | green |
| Masculine singular | petit |
|---|---|
| Feminine singular | petite |
| Masculine plural | petits |
| Feminine plural | petites |
| English | small |
| Masculine singular | grand |
|---|---|
| Feminine singular | grande |
| Masculine plural | grands |
| Feminine plural | grandes |
| English | big |
| Masculine singular | vert |
|---|---|
| Feminine singular | verte |
| Masculine plural | verts |
| Feminine plural | vertes |
| English | green |
Use intensifierUsed to intensify an adjective, for example 'very'. to adjust the intensity of an adjective:
- très – very
- assez – quite
- un peu – quite, a bit
- extrêmement – extremely
Those intensifiers go before the adjective. For example: Sa maison est très moderne. - His/Her house is very modern.
Adjectives must agree with the noun even if they are not right next to each other in the sentence:
- Je trouve les documentaires très intéressants. – I find documentaries very interesting.
- L’eau est extrêmement froide. – The water is extremely cold.
Question
Choose the correct version of the adjective for the nouns listed below.
| Noun | Adjective | |
| 1. | la ville | intéressant / intéressante / intéressantes |
| 2. | les cheveux | noir / noirs / noires |
| 3. | les tantes | amusants / amusant / amusantes |
| 4. | le centre commercial | grandes / grande / grand |
| 1. | |
| Noun | la ville |
| Adjective | intéressant / intéressante / intéressantes |
| 2. | |
| Noun | les cheveux |
| Adjective | noir / noirs / noires |
| 3. | |
| Noun | les tantes |
| Adjective | amusants / amusant / amusantes |
| 4. | |
| Noun | le centre commercial |
| Adjective | grandes / grande / grand |
| Noun | Adjective | Explanation | |
| 1. | la ville | intéressante | Ville is feminine and singular, so the adjective needs to be feminine and singular. |
| 2. | les cheveux | noirs | Cheveux is plural and masculine, so the adjective must be masculine and plural too. |
| 3. | les tantes | amusantes | Tantes is plural and feminine, so the adjective must end in -es. |
| 4. | le centre commercial | grand | Centre commercial is masculine, so the adjective must be masculine. |
| 1. | |
| Noun | la ville |
| Adjective | intéressante |
| Explanation | Ville is feminine and singular, so the adjective needs to be feminine and singular. |
| 2. | |
| Noun | les cheveux |
| Adjective | noirs |
| Explanation | Cheveux is plural and masculine, so the adjective must be masculine and plural too. |
| 3. | |
| Noun | les tantes |
| Adjective | amusantes |
| Explanation | Tantes is plural and feminine, so the adjective must end in -es. |
| 4. | |
| Noun | le centre commercial |
| Adjective | grand |
| Explanation | Centre commercial is masculine, so the adjective must be masculine. |
