Making Sure Adjectives Match Nouns in Gender and Number

In French, adjectives must match the gender and number of the nouns they describe. This is an important rule in grammar that helps make your sentences clear and correct. Let’s break it down so it’s easy to understand.

Gender Agreement

What is Gender?

French nouns are either masculine or feminine. Here are some examples:

• Masculine: le livre (the book)
• Feminine: la table (the table)

Changing Adjectives

Adjectives usually change to match the gender of the noun they go with:

• Masculine Form: beau (handsome/beautiful)
• Feminine Form: belle (handsome/beautiful)

Examples:

• Masculine: un livre beau (a beautiful book)
• Feminine: une table belle (a beautiful table)

Special Cases

Some adjectives are a bit different. For example, “heureux” (happy) changes to “heureuse” for feminine forms.

Number Agreement

Singular and Plural

French nouns can be singular (one) or plural (more than one). When nouns change from singular to plural, adjectives must change too.

Singular vs. Plural

• Singular: un chien gentil (a kind dog)
• Plural: des chiens gentils (kind dogs)

Notice how we add an “-s” to make the plural form of the adjective.

Examples:

• Singular Masculine: un étudiant intelligent (an intelligent student)

• Plural Masculine: des étudiants intelligents (intelligent students)

• Singular Feminine: une étudiante intelligente (an intelligent student)

• Plural Feminine: des étudiantes intelligentes (intelligent students)

Combining Gender and Number

When an adjective describes a noun, it needs to show both the gender and number at the same time. For example:

• Masculine Singular: le chat noir (the black cat)
• Feminine Singular: la chatte noire (the female cat)
• Masculine Plural: les chats noirs (the black cats)
• Feminine Plural: les chattes noires (the female cats)

Tips for Getting It Right

1. Know the noun's gender: Is it masculine or feminine?
2. Check the number: Is it singular or plural?
3. Pick the right form of the adjective: Change it based on gender and number.

Examples in Sentences

Here are some sentences that show how to use adjectives correctly:

1. Des fleurs rouges (red flowers).

   • "fleurs" is feminine plural, so we say "rouges".

2. Un garçon actif (an active boy).

   • "garçon" is masculine singular, so we keep it "actif".

3. Une voiture rapide (a fast car).

   • "voiture" is feminine singular, so it stays "rapide".

4. Des livres intéressants (interesting books).

   • "livres" is masculine plural, so we say "intéressants".

Practice Exercises

To help you practice matching adjectives, try these exercises:

1. Write sentences using these pairs of nouns and adjectives, making sure they agree:

   • un chat (noir)
   • une fille (gentille)
   • des maisons (grandes)

2. Find and fix the mistakes in these sentences:

   • Elle a des chien gentil. (She has kind dogs.)
   • Nous sommes une étudiants intelligent. (We are intelligent students.)

By practicing these rules, you will feel more confident using adjectives correctly in French. Remember, paying attention to gender and number is important for clear and correct sentences!