French Adjective Agreement – Comprehensive Guide

Introduction

Mastering adjective agreement in French is vital for accurate and nuanced communication. This lesson covers the agreement of adjectives in gender and number, offering structured exercises for reinforcement.

Adjective Agreement Rules

Gender Agreement

• Adjectives agree with the noun they describe in gender (masculine or feminine).
• To form the feminine, usually add -e to the masculine form.

Masculine Singular	Feminine Singular	English
grand	grande	big
petit	petite	small
amusant	amusante	amusing/funny
intéressant	intéressante	interesting

• Examples with Qualitative Adjectives (Adjectifs Qualificatifs):
  • La grande maison (The big house)
  • Le petit chat (The small cat)

• Examples with Attributive Adjectives (Adjectifs Attributs):
  • La maison est grande. (The house is big.)
  • Le chat est petit. (The cat is small.)

Certain adjectives necessitate a slight modification in the feminine form:

• Un ami sportif -> Une amie sportive (An athletic friend)
• Un garçon gentil -> Une fille gentille (A kind boy/girl)

Adjective Agreement : Examples of Adjectives with Modifications:

 

Adjective (Masculine Singular)	Feminine Singular	English Meaning
sportif	sportive	athletic
actif	active	active
bon	bonne	good
mignon	mignonne	cute
cher	chère	expensive, dear
léger	légère	light (weight)
italien	italienne	Italian
brésilien	brésilienne	Brazilian
gros	grosse	big, fat
gras	grasse	fatty, greasy
long	longue	long
gentil	gentille	kind, nice
heureux	heureuse	happy

Number Agreement

• Adjectives agree in number (singular or plural).
• To form the plural, typically add -s to the singular form.

Masculine Plural	Feminine Plural	English
grands	grandes	big
petits	petites	small
amusants	amusantes	amusing/funny
intéressants	intéressantes	interesting

• Examples with Qualitative Adjectives:
  • Les grandes maisons (The big houses)
  • Les petits chats (The small cats)
• Examples with Attributive Adjectives:
  • Les maisons sont grandes. (The houses are big.)
  • Les chats sont petits. (The cats are small.)

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Exercises

Exercise 1: Feminine Form

Convert the following masculine adjectives to their feminine form.

1. gentil
2. intéressant
3. bon
4. jeune
5. amusant

Exercise 2: Plural Form

Make the following singular adjectives plural.

Example : Une histoire intéressante.  ➡︎ Des histoires intéressantes.

1. Un chien agressif.
2. Une maison ancienne.
3. Un enfant mignon.
4. Une histoire longue.
5. Le petit oiseau.

Exercise 3: Correct Form in Sentences

Choose the correct adjective form for each sentence.

1. Les fleurs (magnifique/ magnifiques).
2. Le livre (intéressant/intéressants/intéressante/intéressantes).
3. Les chiens (amusant/amusants/amusante/amusantes).
4. La voiture (rapide/rapides).
5. Les maisons (bleu/bleus/bleue/bleues).

Exercise 4: Translate and Agree

Translate the following English sentences into French, ensuring adjective agreement.

1. The cats are funny.
2. The house is pretty.
3. The interesting books are on the table.
4. The chairs are expensive.
5. The girl is kind.

Exercise 5: Adjective Modification

Modify the given adjectives to fit the noun they describe in gender and number.

1. Les garçons (gentil).
2. La femme (sportif).
3. Les filles (heureux).
4. Le garçon (intéressant).
5. Les amis (fidèle).

Adjective Agreement : Conclusion

Through these exercises, you’ve practiced applying the rules of adjective agreement in French across various contexts, enhancing your grammatical accuracy and expressive capability. Continue to practice these principles to further solidify your understanding and usage of French adjectives in conversation and writing.