Agreement of Adjectives in Gender and Number with Nouns

In French, adjectives need to match with the nouns they describe. This means they need to agree in gender and number. Let’s break this down, especially when it comes to plural nouns.

How Agreement Works

1. Gender Agreement:

   • Adjectives for feminine nouns usually end in -e. For example:
     • Une fille (a girl) → gentille (nice) → Une fille gentille.
   • For masculine nouns, the adjective usually does not have an -e at the end.
     • Un garçon (a boy) → gentil (nice) → Un garçon gentil.

2. Number Agreement:

   • When we talk about plural nouns (both feminine and masculine), we often add -s to the adjective.
     • Les femmes (the women) → gentilles → Les femmes gentilles.
     • Les hommes (the men) → gentils → Les hommes gentils.

Examples

• Feminine Plural:
  • Des maisons blanches (white houses): "Maisons" is plural and feminine, so "blanche" changes to "blanches".
• Masculine Plural:
  • Des chats noirs (black cats): "Chats" is plural and masculine, so "noir" changes to "noirs".

Quick Rules to Remember

• Add -e for singular feminine nouns.
• Add -s for plural nouns (for both genders).
• Make sure the adjective and noun match in gender and number.

By keeping these rules in mind, you’ll get much better at understanding and using French!