In French, adjectives are very important because they help to express different meanings. One cool thing about French adjectives is that they change based on whether the noun is masculine or feminine and whether it’s singular or plural. Knowing how these changes work is super helpful for getting better at French.
In French, every noun is either masculine or feminine. This means that adjectives must match the gender of the nouns they describe.
Examples:
As you can see, the adjective noir changes to noire for feminine nouns. The letter “-e” is added to make the feminine form.
When adjectives are used together (compound), they still need to agree with the nouns. For example:
Here, both adjectives change to match the gender and stay plural because the subjects (livres and idées) are plural.
Adjectives also change depending on whether a noun is singular or plural.
Examples:
You’ll notice that the plural forms usually add an “-s” for masculine and “-es” for feminine.
In longer sentences, where there are multiple nouns, adjectives will change based on the nearest noun’s gender and number.
Example of a complex sentence:
Les élèves et leurs parents sont généreux et accueillants.
(Translation: The students and their parents are generous and welcoming.)
Here, généreux and accueillants are used in the masculine plural form because they match élèves and parents. If there was a feminine noun, the adjectives would change. For example:
Les élèves et leurs mères sont généreuses et accueillantes.
(Translation: The students and their mothers are generous and welcoming.)
In this case, the adjectives changed to généreuses and accueillantes to match the feminine noun mères.
Some adjectives don't follow the usual rules. For instance:
Some adjectives, like sympa (nice), stay the same no matter what:
Learning how adjectives change with gender and number in longer sentences is key to improving your French. Pay close attention to the nouns that adjectives describe, and practice making complex sentences to help you remember these rules. With time and practice, you’ll get really good at masculine and feminine agreement, making your French sound more fluent and natural!
In French, adjectives are very important because they help to express different meanings. One cool thing about French adjectives is that they change based on whether the noun is masculine or feminine and whether it’s singular or plural. Knowing how these changes work is super helpful for getting better at French.
In French, every noun is either masculine or feminine. This means that adjectives must match the gender of the nouns they describe.
Examples:
As you can see, the adjective noir changes to noire for feminine nouns. The letter “-e” is added to make the feminine form.
When adjectives are used together (compound), they still need to agree with the nouns. For example:
Here, both adjectives change to match the gender and stay plural because the subjects (livres and idées) are plural.
Adjectives also change depending on whether a noun is singular or plural.
Examples:
You’ll notice that the plural forms usually add an “-s” for masculine and “-es” for feminine.
In longer sentences, where there are multiple nouns, adjectives will change based on the nearest noun’s gender and number.
Example of a complex sentence:
Les élèves et leurs parents sont généreux et accueillants.
(Translation: The students and their parents are generous and welcoming.)
Here, généreux and accueillants are used in the masculine plural form because they match élèves and parents. If there was a feminine noun, the adjectives would change. For example:
Les élèves et leurs mères sont généreuses et accueillantes.
(Translation: The students and their mothers are generous and welcoming.)
In this case, the adjectives changed to généreuses and accueillantes to match the feminine noun mères.
Some adjectives don't follow the usual rules. For instance:
Some adjectives, like sympa (nice), stay the same no matter what:
Learning how adjectives change with gender and number in longer sentences is key to improving your French. Pay close attention to the nouns that adjectives describe, and practice making complex sentences to help you remember these rules. With time and practice, you’ll get really good at masculine and feminine agreement, making your French sound more fluent and natural!