French for Beginners: Common Adjectives and How to Use Them

In any language, adjectives are a key part of communication. They help to modify or describe nouns and can add flavor and nuance to our speech. In French, there are many common adjectives that you will come across in your studies (or already have).

But, while the topic of adjectives may seem simple at first, it can be quite challenging in reality. There are several rules you need to learn to use them fluently, such as where to put each adjective, which ending to use, and how to create their comparative and superlative forms.

To make your language learning journey a bit more structured, let’s go through the basics of adjective usage in French – and learn the most common descriptive words used in the beginning levels of this language. Read on.

Adjective Endings

When learning about adjectives in French, it’s important to understand the different types that exist. In general, adjectives can be classified into two groups: those that are invariable (or invariant adjectives), and those that have different forms (or variable adjectives).

Epithetic adjectives usually go after the noun they modify. For example, in the sentence “Des cheveux étonnants”, the adjective “étonnants” (amazing) is epithetic. In contrast, attributive adjectives also modify the noun, but appear together with a stative verb, such as in the sentence Il était silencieux. – “He was silent.”

Unlike in English, French adjectives have masculine and feminine forms, which is why they, just like some other French parts of speech, have to agree in number and gender with the noun they modify.

Remember About Agreement

When it comes to adjective agreement in French, there are two things you need to take into account:

Number: whether the noun is singular or plural;

Gender: whether the noun is masculine or feminine;

For example, take a look at this sentence: Une fille est fatiguée. (A girl is tired.) Here, we have a singular feminine subject (“une fille”), so the adjective “tired” has to agree with it and takes on the ending -e. In the masculine singular form, we would just use the adjective “fatigué.”

Remember that the agreement is necessary even in first-person sentences, such as je suis fatigué. If you are a man or identify as a male, then the adjective ending will be masculine singular -é. And, if you’re a woman or identify as a female, you need to add a second -e to create the feminine form.

Regular vs. Irregular Adjectives

Another point you need to consider when using adjectives in French is whether they are regular or irregular. In general, most French adjectives are regular, which means they follow a specific pattern when it comes to spelling and agreement. For example, the adjective petit (small) becomes petite in the feminine singular form.

However, there are also some irregular French adjectives that change the ending in different ways, according to the rules you might have already encountered when learning the noun endings. For example, there is nouveau – nouvelle (new), vieux – vieille (old), and beau – belle (beautiful), among others.

While there are quite a few irregular forms, and learning them all may seem daunting, remember that the ending change works similarly for nouns and in adjectives. So, if you learn the most common irregular ending changes in nouns, it will be much easier to do so with adjectives. Here are some main rules:

When learning irregular endings, try to focus on the most common French adjectives first, such as the three we mentioned before. Then, gradually broaden your vocabulary. With time and practice, it will become second nature to select the right spelling and ending.

Plural Adjectives

Plural French adjectives abide by similar rules. Most often, to create a plural form, you need to take the singular version and add an -s to it. For example, when we have a masculine plural subject “les garçons,” the sentence mentioned earlier would look like that: Les garçons sont fatigués. (The boys are tired.)

The same goes for a feminine plural subject – in that case, we would use -s endings as well as an additional e: Les filles sont fatiguées. (The girls are tired.)

But, there are three exceptions when it comes to the plural adjectives, which is also partially similar to the ending change in plural nouns. These are:

Adjective Placement

When it comes to the French adjective placement in a sentence, that depends on the type of adjectives. L’adjectives attributs always come after the verb they are used with. For example:

On the other hand, l’adjectives épithètes usually come after the noun they’re modifying.

But, there are several exceptions where French adjectives go before the noun. Some common cases include:

Note: if the nouns are connected by a conjunction such as mais, donc, or, etc., they go after the noun.

Some adjectives can also be placed both before and after the noun, but their position changes the meaning, such as:

Comparative and Superlative Forms of Adjectives

When it comes to comparing two things in French, you need to use a bit of grammar. Just like in English, where you would say “My car is faster than yours” instead of “My car is more fast than yours” (which doesn’t make sense), there are specific rules to follow in French as well.

The first thing you need to know about comparisons is that they involve the following three degrees:

Le comparatif de supériorité – The comparative of superiority. It expresses a higher degree when comparing two objects. For example: She is smarter than me.

Le comparatif d’infériorité – The comparative of inferiority. It expresses a lower degree when comparing two objects. For example: He’s less smart than his sister.

Le comparatif d’égalité – The comparative of equality. It expresses equal degrees when comparing two objects. For example: He is as smart as his brother.

To build a comparative sentence in French, you need to use the following construction:

For example:

In order to make a superlative form of an adjective, you need to use the following construction:

For example:

When creating comparative and superlative forms, don’t forget about the French adjective agreement as well. To learn more about comparative and superlative adjectives in French, check out this grammar point on our website.

Common Adjectives in the French Language

Now that you know all there is to know about French adjectives, it’s time to learn some common ones. After all, what’s the point of learning grammar if you don’t get to use it in real life? Here is a list of 25 common French descriptive words that you can use in your daily conversations:

The Amazing World of French Adjectives

Adjectives are a necessary and important part of the French language, as they help to modify nouns and make our speech more interesting. By learning some common adjectives, you will be able to express yourself better in your everyday conversations.

With this grammar point under your belt, you’ll be able to ace your next French test and ensure that every conversation with a native speaker sounds as natural as possible. But, of course, practice is the key – so, what are you waiting for? Start studying today!