The Impact of Gender and Number on Adjective Agreement in French

In French, adjectives need to match or "agree" with the nouns they describe. This agreement is based on two things: gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural). Let’s break this down simply.

Gender Agreement

• Masculine Adjectives: For words that describe masculine nouns, use the base form of the adjective. For example:
  • Un homme charmant (A charming man).
• Feminine Adjectives: For feminine nouns, you usually add an -e at the end:
  • Une femme charmante (A charming woman).

Important Note: If the masculine form already ends with an -e, it stays the same:

• Un acteur jaloux (A jealous actor).
• Une actrice jalouse (A jealous actress).

Number Agreement

• Singular: Use the base form of the adjective with singular nouns.
  • Un chat noir (A black cat).
• Plural: For plural nouns, you usually add an -s to the adjective:
  • Des chats noirs (Black cats).

Important Note: If the adjective ends in an -s or -x, it does not change:

• Un livre cher / Des livres chers (An expensive book / Expensive books).

Combining Gender and Number

To fully agree, you must consider both gender and number:

1. Masculine singular: Un élève intelligent (An intelligent student).
2. Feminine singular: Une élève intelligente (An intelligent student).
3. Masculine plural: Des élèves intelligents (Intelligent students).
4. Feminine plural: Des élèves intelligentes (Intelligent students).

Practice Sentences

• Singular: Il a un livre ancien. (He has an old book.)
• Plural: Elles ont des livres anciens. (They have old books.)

Summary

To wrap it up, always remember to match your adjectives with the nouns they describe in gender and number. This is a key basic rule for speaking and writing clearly in French. Try making your own sentences by describing different nouns to practice and improve your skills!