Regular Adjectives in French

Overview

French adjectives must agree in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) with the noun they describe. This is one of the fundamental grammar rules you learn at the A1 level, and it affects nearly every descriptive sentence you build. Unlike English, where adjectives never change form, French adjectives shift their endings constantly.

The regular pattern is straightforward: add -e for feminine, -s for masculine plural, and -es for feminine plural. If the masculine form already ends in -e, nothing changes for the feminine. These written changes are not always audible — many adjective agreements are silent in spoken French, but they are essential in writing.

Another key difference from English: most French adjectives come after the noun, not before it. You say un livre intéressant (an interesting book), not un intéressant livre. There are exceptions (the BANGS adjectives), but the default position is after the noun.

How It Works

Agreement Rules

Form	Rule	Example (intelligent)
Masculine singular	base form	intelligent
Feminine singular	+ e	intelligente
Masculine plural	+ s	intelligents
Feminine plural	+ es	intelligentes

Special Cases

Masculine ending	Feminine change	Example
-e (no change)	same	calme → calme
-eux	-euse	heureux → heureuse
-if	-ive	actif → active
-er	-ère	premier → première
-en	-enne	italien → italienne
-on	-onne	bon → bonne

Position: After the Noun (Default)

French	English
un garçon intelligent	an intelligent boy
une fille intelligente	an intelligent girl
des étudiants français	French students
une ville importante	an important city

Examples in Context

French	English	Note
un garçon intelligent	an intelligent boy	Masculine singular
une fille intelligente	an intelligent girl	Feminine: + e
des étudiants français	French students	Masculine plural: + s
des étudiantes françaises	French students (f.)	Feminine plural: + es
un homme calme	a calm man	Already ends in -e: no change
une femme calme	a calm woman	Same form for both genders
Il est content.	He is happy.	Masculine
Elle est contente.	She is happy.	Feminine: + e (pronounced differently)
Ils sont fatigués.	They are tired.	Masculine plural
Elles sont fatiguées.	They are tired. (f.)	Feminine plural

Common Mistakes

Forgetting feminine agreement

• Wrong: Elle est intelligent.
• Right: Elle est intelligente.
• Why: Adjectives must agree with the gender of the noun or subject. Feminine subjects require the feminine form of the adjective.

Placing adjectives before the noun by default

• Wrong: un intéressant livre
• Right: un livre intéressant
• Why: Most French adjectives follow the noun. Only a specific group (BANGS: beauty, age, number, goodness, size) regularly precedes the noun.

Pronouncing silent agreements

• Wrong: Pronouncing the final -s in intelligents
• Right: The -s is silent; intelligent and intelligents sound the same
• Why: Plural -s is almost always silent in French. The agreement matters for writing but usually not for pronunciation (with some exceptions where the feminine -e makes a previously silent consonant audible).

Practice Tips

1. Pick an adjective and practice all four forms: grand, grande, grands, grandes. Then use each in a sentence with a matching noun. This builds the agreement reflex.
2. Describe people around you or characters in a show: Il est grand et intelligent. Elle est petite et amusante. Pay attention to matching gender every time.
3. Remember that the feminine -e often makes a previously silent final consonant audible: petit [puh-tee] vs. petite [puh-teet]. This pronunciation change is your ear's clue to gender.

Related Concepts

• Gender of Nouns — adjective agreement depends on noun gender
• BANGS Adjectives — adjectives that go before the noun
• Demonstrative Adjectives — ce, cette, ces
• Comparisons — comparing with adjectives