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French Adjective Agreement
French adjectives agree with the noun they describe: masculine or feminine, singular or plural. The regular pattern is simple — add -e for feminine, add -s for plural when the form does not already end in -s or -x — but common adjectives have predictable spelling changes you need to recognize.
The feminine form is the key. Once you know petit → petite, heureux → heureuse, or sportif → sportive, the plural often just adds -s: petites, heureuses, sportives. Masculine forms already ending in -s or -x, like gris and heureux, stay the same in masculine plural. Noun gender itself is covered on the noun gender page; this page starts after you know what the noun is.
In short
- Most adjectives add
-efor feminine: petit → petite. - Most adjectives add
-sfor plural: petit → petits, petite → petites; forms already ending in-sor-xdo not add another one. Masculine-eauand-alchange instead: beau → beaux, original → originaux. - Common patterns change spelling: heureux → heureuse, sportif → sportive, cher → chère, bon → bonne.
- Mixed masculine + feminine groups take masculine plural: Paul et Marie sont prêts.
masculinefemininepluralinvariable· hover a highlighted word for its label
The four-form grid
Every agreeing adjective has up to four forms: masculine singular, feminine singular, masculine plural, feminine plural. Many forms sound identical, but the spelling still matters in writing. Start from the masculine singular dictionary form, build the feminine, then add plural -s where needed. One article detail: before a plural adjective + noun, careful French turns des into de — de petits cafés — though everyday speech often keeps des.
| Gender and number | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| masculine singular | petit | un petit café |
| feminine singular | petite | une petite maison |
| masculine plural | petits | de petits cafés |
| feminine plural | petites | de petites maisons |
The café is small.
— Masculine singular noun: petit.
The house is small.
— Feminine singular noun: add -e, petite.
Her ideas are really original.
— Feminine plural noun: originales.
The buses are full this morning.
— Masculine plural noun: pleins adds plural -s.
Common feminine patterns
The regular -e rule is only the first layer. Several high-frequency adjective families change their ending before adding plural. Learn them as pairs: heureux / heureuse, sportif / sportive, cher / chère, bon / bonne.
| Masculine | Feminine | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -eux | -euse | heureux → heureuse |
| -if | -ive | actif → active |
| -er | -ère | cher → chère |
| -on | -onne | bon → bonne |
She is happy with the news.
— Heureux changes to heureuse in the feminine.
This team is very active.
— Actif changes to active with a feminine noun.
These tarts are good.
— Bon doubles n in the feminine; plural adds -s.
Adjectives before vowel sounds
A small set of common adjectives has a second masculine singular form before a vowel sound: beau → bel, nouveau → nouvel, vieux → vieil, fou → fol, and mou → mol. The feminine forms are belle, nouvelle, vieille, folle, and molle. These forms exist to make pronunciation smoother. In the masculine plural, -eau becomes -eaux: beaux, nouveaux — never a plain -s.
| Before consonant | Before vowel sound | Feminine |
|---|---|---|
| beau | bel | belle |
| nouveau | nouvel | nouvelle |
| vieux | vieil | vieille |
| fou | fol | folle |
| mou | mol | molle |
It’s a beautiful old building.
— Bel appears because the next word, immeuble, begins with a vowel sound.
She has a new idea.
— Idée is feminine, so use nouvelle, not nouvel.
Colors and invariable adjectives
Most color adjectives agree: une veste verte, des chaussures blanches. But nouns used as colors often stay invariable, especially marron and orange. Compound colors also usually stay invariable: des yeux bleu clair.
She is wearing a green jacket and white shoes.
— Regular color adjectives agree with each noun.
He bought brown shoes.
— Marron is a noun used as a color, so it stays invariable.
Mixed groups take masculine plural
When an adjective describes a group that contains at least one masculine noun or person, French uses the masculine plural. This is a grammar rule about agreement, not a statement about importance. If Marie and Paul are ready, the adjective is prêts, because the group is mixed.
Marie and Paul are ready.
— A mixed group takes masculine plural agreement.
Common mistakes
✗La maison est petit.
✓La maison est petite.
Maison is feminine, so the adjective needs the feminine -e.
✗Des idées original.
✓Des idées originales.
Idées is feminine plural, so the adjective needs feminine -e plus plural -s.
✗Elle est très heureux.
✓Elle est très heureuse.
Heureux changes to heureuse in the feminine; it is not a simple added -e.
✗Un beau appartement.
✓Un bel appartement.
Beau has a special masculine form, bel, before a vowel sound.
✗Des chaussures marrons.
✓Des chaussures marron.
Marron is a noun used as a color adjective, so it normally stays invariable.
Check yourself
1 / 5Une voiture ___.
2 / 5Des maisons ___.
3 / 5Elle est très ___ aujourd’hui.
4 / 5Un ___ hôtel.
5 / 5Paul et Marie sont ___.
Frequently asked questions
How does French adjective agreement work?
An adjective changes to match the noun it describes in gender and number. Most add -e for feminine and -s for plural, but common patterns like heureux → heureuse and actif → active must be learned.
Do French adjectives always change in the feminine?
No. If the masculine already ends in silent -e, the feminine is identical: un homme calme, une femme calme. Other adjectives change more visibly, such as bon → bonne or vieux → vieille.
Do color adjectives agree in French?
Most simple color adjectives agree: une robe verte, des maisons blanches. Nouns used as colors, such as marron and orange, usually stay invariable.
What happens with a mixed masculine and feminine group?
French uses masculine plural agreement when a group includes at least one masculine noun or person. Marie et Paul sont prêts uses prêts, not prêtes.
Is adjective agreement the same as adjective placement?
No. Agreement decides the adjective’s form; placement decides where it goes before or after the noun. Adjective placement is a separate topic, including BAGS adjectives and meaning changes.
Memory tip
Build the adjective in this order: identify the noun’s gender, make the feminine if needed, then add plural if needed. The feminine form is the hinge: petit, petite, petits, petites.
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