French adjective agreement and position: an eight-rule cheat sheet

1 · Start with the noun

Identify the noun’s gender and number first. Agreement follows the noun, including after être.

Le salon est petit. La cuisine est petite.The living room is small. The kitchen is small.

Les chambres sont petites.The bedrooms are small.

2 · The usual feminine adds -e

Many adjectives add -e. An adjective already ending in -e usually keeps the same form in the feminine.

un sac vert → une valise vertea green bag → a green suitcase

un quartier calme → une rue calmea quiet neighbourhood → a quiet street

3 · The usual plural adds -s

Add -s to the masculine or feminine form. A masculine adjective already ending in -s or -x keeps that ending in the plural.

un étudiant sérieux → des étudiants sérieuxa serious student → serious students

une étudiante sérieuse → des étudiantes sérieusesa serious female student → serious female students

4 · Learn irregular pairs together

These common adjectives change more than one letter. The masculine plural of beau and nouveau ends in -x.

Les murs sont blancs et les portes sont blanches.The walls are white and the doors are white.

5 · Put ordinary descriptions after the noun

Colours, nationalities and shapes usually follow the noun. Each adjective still agrees in gender and number.

Elle porte une robe bleue.She is wearing a blue dress.

Nous avons une table ronde et deux chaises italiennes.We have a round table and two Italian chairs.

6 · Use BAGS for common adjectives before the noun

BAGS means Beauty, Age, Goodness, Size. It helps with these frequent words; meaning can also affect position. The course’s BANGS version adds Number: le premier jour.

C’est une jolie petite maison blanche.It is a pretty little white house.

7 · Before a vowel sound: bel, nouvel, vieil

Directly before a masculine singular noun starting with a vowel or silent h, use bel, nouvel or vieil. Feminine forms stay belle, nouvelle and vieille.

un beau jardin → un bel arbre → une belle maisona beautiful garden → a beautiful tree → a beautiful house

un nouvel appartement ; un vieil hôtela new flat; an old hotel

Ce jardin est beau.This garden is beautiful.

8 · Before a plural adjective, des usually becomes de

In careful writing, the indefinite article des usually becomes de before an adjective that precedes a plural noun. Agreement still applies. Before a vowel, write d’.

J’ai acheté de belles fleurs.I bought beautiful flowers.

Elle a d’excellentes idées.She has excellent ideas.

J’ai acheté des fleurs blanches.I bought white flowers.