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French adjective pairs: tired or tiring, kind or friendly?

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Choose between fatigué and fatigant, ennuyé and ennuyeux, gentil and sympa. See how the meaning changes, then practise five contextual questions.

In short

Learn the relationship in each pair. Fatigué means tired and fatigant means tiring; ennuyé often means bothered or embarrassed, while ennuyeux means boring or troublesome. Gentil and sympa overlap: both can praise a kind action.

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A traveller rests in an armchair beside a suitcase.
After the journey, the traveller is fatiguée. Illustration: Atelier
  • fatigué / fatiganttwo ways to say tiredtired / tiring

    La journée est fatigante. À la fin, Léa est fatiguée.The day is tiring. By the end, Léa is tired.

    For the feeling, use fatigué. For what causes tiredness, use fatigant.

  • ennuyé / ennuyeuxa simple bored / boring pair in every contextbothered or embarrassed / boring or troublesome

    Je suis ennuyé : j’ai oublié ton livre.I’m embarrassed: I forgot your book.

    For “I’m bored”, use the clear everyday phrase Je m’ennuie.

  • gentil / sympaa strict pair of oppositeskind, nice / nice, friendly, pleasant

    C’est gentil de m’aider. Ton voisin est vraiment sympa.It’s kind of you to help me. Your neighbour is really nice.

    Sympa is conversational. You can also say C’est sympa de m’aider.

What is the difference between fatigué and fatigant?

Paul est fatigué après le voyage. Il devient fatigant quand il répète la même question dix fois.

Paul is tired after the trip. He becomes tiring when he repeats the same question ten times.

Choose by meaning, then check agreement. A person can cause tiredness too, so the choice depends on the role in your sentence. Paul est fatigant describes the effect he has on others. Paul est fatigué describes his own state.

Study first: forms in short phrases
Masculine singularFeminine singularFeminine plural
un voyage fatigantune journée fatigantedes journées fatigantes
un voisin fatiguéune voisine fatiguéedes voisines fatiguées
un film ennuyeuxune soirée ennuyeusedes soirées ennuyeuses
un voisin gentilune voisine gentilledes voisines gentilles
un collègue sympaune collègue sympades collègues sympas
Question 1No account needed
Léa needs to rest. Complete her sentence.Je suis très ___. Je vais dormir.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

fatiguée. Léa describes her own tiredness; the feminine form is fatiguée.

Question 2No account needed
The journey makes everyone tired.Ce voyage est vraiment ___.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

fatigant. The journey causes tiredness, so it is fatigant.

Question 3No account needed
How do you say “I’m bored” in a simple everyday way?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Je m’ennuie.. Je m’ennuie describes feeling bored. Ennuyeux describes a boring person or thing.

Question 4No account needed
Complete “boring evenings”.Des soirées ___.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

ennuyeuses. Soirées is feminine plural: des soirées ennuyeuses.

Question 5No account needed
Which sentence thanks someone for a kind action?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

C’est gentil de m’aider.. C’est gentil de m’aider directly appreciates the person’s kindness.

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