The Ultimate Guide to French Adjectives: From Beginner to Intermediate (A1-B1)

Welcome, Francophiles! Whether you’re just starting your journey (A1) or you’re navigating the trickier waters of intermediate French (B1), understanding how to describe things is essential. Adjectives add color, detail, and emotion to your language.

However, French adjectives work a little differently than English ones. Let’s break down the rules progressively, step-by-step, so you can describe the world around you with confidence!

Level A1: The Basics of Agreement (L’Accord)

In English, an adjective never changes. A “tall man” and a “tall woman” both use the word “tall.” In French, adjectives are shape-shifters! They must agree in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) with the noun they describe.

1. The General Rule

The basic rule is simple:

• Feminine: Add an -e to the masculine singular form.
• Plural: Add an -s to the singular form.

Let’s look at the adjective petit (small/short):

2. Adjectives Already Ending in -e

If the masculine singular adjective already ends in an unaccented -e, you do not add another -e for the feminine. It stays exactly the same!

3. Basic Placement: Where do they go?

In English, adjectives almost always go before the noun (the red car). In French, the vast majority of adjectives go after the noun.

Level A2: The “BANGS” Rule and Irregular Feminines

Now that you have the basics down, let’s add some nuance. While most adjectives go after the noun, a very common group goes before.

1. The BANGS Exceptions (Placement)

To remember which adjectives go before the noun, use the acronym BANGS:

• Beauty: beau/belle (beautiful), joli/jolie (pretty)
• Age: jeune (young), vieux/vieille (old), nouveau/nouvelle (new)
• Number: premier/première (first), deuxième (second)
• Goodness: bon/bonne (good), mauvais/mauvaise (bad)
• Size: grand/grande (tall/big), petit/petite (small/short), gros/grosse (fat/large)

2. Common Irregular Feminine Forms

Not all adjectives follow the simple “add an -e” rule. Some change their ending completely when they become feminine. Here are a few essential patterns to memorize:

Level B1: Tricky Plurals and Change of Meaning

Welcome to the intermediate level! Here, we refine your knowledge and tackle some of the quirks of the French language.

1. Irregular Plurals

Just like feminines, plurals have exceptions.

• Adjectives ending in -s or -x: They do not change in the masculine plural!
  • Un homme heureux (A happy man) → Des hommes heureux (Happy men)
• Adjectives ending in -eau: Add an -x instead of an -s.
  • Un nouveau livre (A new book) → De nouveaux livres (New books)
    *Note: ‘Des’ often becomes ‘De’ before an adjective.
• Adjectives ending in -al: Often change to -aux.
  • Un problème national (A national problem) → Des problèmes nationaux (National problems)

2. Adjectives that Change Meaning Depending on Placement

This is a fun, distinctly French quirk! A small handful of adjectives change their meaning depending on whether they are placed before or after the noun.

Generally, when placed before, the adjective has a more subjective or figurative meaning. When placed after, it has a more objective or literal meaning.

Learning French adjectives is a journey. It starts with simple rules of agreement and placement, and gradually unfolds into a rich system that allows for precise and elegant expression. By mastering these concepts from A1 to B1, you’ll be well on your way to speaking and writing French like a true insider!