French adjectives
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Position
In French, an adjective is either the object of to the copula verb être, or it stands close to the noun it describes.
Most adjectives follow nouns, but some common (1 or 2-syllable) adjectives precede it:
- un livre amusant = an entertaining book
- un bon livre = a good book
A few adjectives change their meaning in another position:
- mon ancien directeur = my former director
- mon directeur ancien = my aged ("ancient") director
- ma propre chambre = my own room
- ma chambre propre = my clean room
- la seule femme = the only woman
- la femme seule = the lonely woman
Adjective vs. Adverb
To transform an adjective into an adverb, add the suffix -ment to the feminine singular form of the adjective.
- Jean est lent. = John is slow. (adjective)
- Jean marche lentement. = John walks slowly. (adverb)
Declension
An adjective is always declined according to the gender and number of the noun it specifies. Usually feminine adjectives get an E at the end, and an S is added in plural. Please refer to French adjective declensions for details.
- Marie est lente. = Mary is slow.
Comparison
The page French adjective comparison describes how to things with adjectives, as the following examples illustrate:
- Jean est plus lent que Marie. = John is slower than Mary.
- Marie est moins lente que Jean. = Mary is less slow than Jhon.
- Jean est aussi lent qu'un escargot. = John is as slow as a snail.
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