What Are the Rules for Making Adjectives Match Nouns?

In French, adjectives need to match the nouns they describe in terms of gender and number. This means when a noun is plural, the adjective describing it must also be in its plural form. Let’s break down some important points about this.

1. How to Form Adjectives

• Singular Forms: Most adjectives are either masculine (the default form) or feminine (which usually adds -e).

  • Example: grand (tall - masculine), grande (tall - feminine).

• Making Adjectives Plural: For most adjectives, you make them plural by adding an -s to the singular form.

  • Example: grands (tall - masculine plural), grandes (tall - feminine plural).

2. Special Adjective Forms

Some adjectives do not follow the regular rules when making them plural.

• Examples:
  • beau (handsome) becomes beaux (handsome - masculine plural).
  • nouveau (new) becomes nouveaux (new - masculine plural).
  • fou (crazy) becomes fous (crazy - masculine plural).

3. Articles and Adjective Matching

Articles also need to match the gender and number of the nouns they go with. This affects how adjectives are used:

• Definite Articles:

  • le (the - masculine singular),
  • la (the - feminine singular),
  • les (the - plural for both genders).
  • Example: le livre intéressant (the interesting book),
  • les livres intéressants (the interesting books).

• Indefinite Articles:

  • un (a - masculine),
  • une (a - feminine),
  • des (some - plural for both genders).
  • Example: une voiture rouge (a red car),
  • des voitures rouges (some red cars).

4. Matching Reflexive Verbs

When talking about adjectives, remember that reflexive verbs also have to match in gender and number, especially when they use a past participle in the passé composé.

• Example:
  • Elle s'est habillée (She got dressed - feminine singular),
  • Ils se sont habillés (They got dressed - masculine plural).

5. The Passé Composé

In the passé composé tense, the auxiliary verbs (être or avoir) combine with a past participle. This requires some changes when using être.

• Example:
  • Elle est allée (She went - feminine singular),
  • Ils sont allés (They went - masculine plural).

Conclusion

When using adjectives in French, always think about the gender and number of the nouns they describe. With practice, these rules will become easier, and your French grammar will improve!