Position of French adjectives: How to place French adjectives correctly
Most French adjectives go after the noun they describe. Other come before the noun. Their are also adjectives that can both come before or go the after the noun, depending on the context.
French adjectives that go after the noun
Most French adjectives, including those that describe colors, nationalities, and shapes, always go after the nouns they describe.
Examples
Une fille intelligente
An intelligent girl
Une voiture blanche
A white car
Other adjectives that follow the same rule:
| Adjectives | meaning |
|---|---|
| anglais. | English |
| Français. | French |
| Drôle | funny |
| Laid | ugly |
| Méchant | wicked |
| Intéressant | interesting |
| Délicieux | delicious |
French adjective that comes before the noun
Some French adjectives including those that refer to Age, exception âge. Beauty, exception laid. Goodness, exception méchant.
Size and Ordinal numbers come before the noun.
Examples:
Une jolie fille
A pretty girl
Un jeune garçon
A young man
Other adjectives:
| Adjectives | meaning |
|---|---|
| Petit | small, little |
| Vieux | old |
| Premier | first |
| Mauvais | bad, poor |
| Bon | good |
| Grand | tall, big, long, great |
| Gros | fat, big |
| Beau | beautiful, handsome |
| Court | short |
| Nouveau | new |
Adjectives that can either come before or go after the noun.
Some adjectives can come before or go after the noun. Their correct position would depend on the meaning the speaker wants to convey.
List of adjectives that follow this rule:
| Adjectives | before the noun | after the noun |
|---|---|---|
| Ancien | former | antique |
| Certain | some | sure |
| Cher | dear | expensive |
| Grand | great | tall |
| Pauvre | unfortunate | poor |
| Propre | my own | clean |
| Seul | only/single | lonely, alone |
Examples:
Un homme grand
A tall man
Cher ami
Dear friend
Une maison chère
An expensive house
Using more than one adjective
Like English, a noun can be described using more than one adjective.
Adjectives that are joined with et
If both adjectives usually go after the noun, they are joined with et meaning and.
Examples:
Un film intéressant et drôle
An interesting and funny film
Une maison blanche et bleue
A white and blue house
Adjectives that maintain their position
When one adjective comes before the noun (E.g joli) and another comes after the noun (E.g intelligent), they maintain their position when used together.
Examples:
Une jeune fille intelligente
A young and intelligent girl
