Comparing Family Members Using Adjectives in French

When you talk about family members in French, adjectives are really important. This guide will help you learn how to use adjectives to compare your family members.

1. Vocabulary: Family Members

Let's start by learning the names of family members:

• Mère (mother)
• Père (father)
• Frère (brother)
• Sœur (sister)
• Grand-mère (grandmother)
• Grand-père (grandfather)
• Oncle (uncle)
• Tante (aunt)
• Cousin/Cousine (male cousin/female cousin)

2. Basic Adjectives for Descriptions

Here are some adjectives you can use to describe your family:

• Grand(e) (tall)
• Petit(e) (short)
• Jeune (young)
• Vieux/Vieille (old)
• Sympa (nice)
• Sérieux/Sérieuse (serious)
• Drôle (funny)
• Joli(e) (pretty)
• Beau/Belle (handsome/beautiful)

3. Agreement of Adjectives

In French, adjectives need to match the gender and number of the nouns they describe.

• For a boy, you keep the adjective the same:

  • Mon frère est grand. (My brother is tall.)

• For a girl, you add an "e":

  • Ma sœur est grande. (My sister is tall.)

• For plural forms, you add an "s" for both boys and girls:

  • Mes frères sont grands. (My brothers are tall.)
  • Mes sœurs sont grandes. (My sisters are tall.)

4. Comparing Family Members

To compare two family members, you can use "plus... que" (more... than) and "moins... que" (less... than).

For example:

• Mon père est plus sérieux que ma mère.
  (My father is more serious than my mother.)

• Ma sœur est moins drôle que mon frère.
  (My sister is less funny than my brother.)

5. Sample Sentences

Here are some more examples to show how to compare family members using adjectives:

• Mon oncle est plus vieux que ma tante.
  (My uncle is older than my aunt.)

• Ma grand-mère est plus gentille que mon grand-père.
  (My grandmother is kinder than my grandfather.)

• Mes cousins sont plus jeunes que moi.
  (My cousins are younger than me.)

6. Practice

Now that you know how to use adjectives to compare family members, try making your own sentences! Use different adjectives and family members to practice. Here are some ideas:

• Compare your siblings or cousins using adjectives.
• Describe your parents, grandparents, or any other family members.

With more practice, you’ll get better at using French words to describe and compare your family members!