In French, adjectives must match the nouns they describe in two main ways: gender (male or female) and number (singular or plural). This means that the way you write an adjective can change depending on the noun. Let’s make this easier to understand in a few simple points!

1. Gender Agreement:

• Masculine Adjectives: Most adjectives look the same when describing male nouns. For example:

  • Un homme intelligent (An intelligent man)
  • Un livre intéressant (An interesting book)

• Feminine Adjectives: To change an adjective for a female noun, you usually add -e to the masculine form. If the masculine form already ends in -e, it stays the same. For example:

  • Une femme intelligente (An intelligent woman)
  • Une idée intéressante (An interesting idea)

2. Number Agreement:

• Singular Adjectives: Use adjectives as they are with a singular noun. For example:

  • Un chien heureux (A happy dog)
  • Une voiture rouge (A red car)

• Plural Adjectives: For plural nouns, you usually add -s at the end of the adjective. But if it already ends in -s or -x, it stays the same. For example:

  • Des chiens heureux (Happy dogs)
  • Des voitures rouges (Red cars)
  • Des livres intéressants (Interesting books)

3. Subject Pronouns and Verbs:

When making sentences, remember to use subject pronouns (like je, tu, il/elle/on, nous, vous, ils/elles) with present tense verbs. For example:

• Je parle (I speak)
• Tu écoutes (You listen)

4. Basic Negation:

To say something is not true, use “ne...pas.” For example:

• Je ne suis pas content(e) (I am not happy). This rule works the same for both masculine and feminine adjectives.

5. Articles:

Make sure to use the right articles with nouns and adjectives:

• Definite articles: le (masculine), la (feminine), les (plural)
• Indefinite articles: un (masculine), une (feminine), des (plural)

6. Combining Elements:

Now, try making sentences that use all these rules. For example:

• Je (subject pronoun) suis (verb) une élève (noun) intelligente (feminine adjective).
• Ils (subject pronoun) sont (verb) des professeurs (noun) passionnants (masculine plural adjective).

Practice making sentences using these ideas! Remember to match your adjectives to the nouns in gender and number. Doing this will help you get better at French grammar and speaking skills.