Adjective Agreement in French
Make adjectives agree in gender and number. Learn the four forms: petit, petite, petits, petites. Handle irregular adjectives (beau/belle, nouveau/nouvelle).
A lesson of French A1 — Beginner, in Gender & Articles, about 10 minutes.
By the end of this lesson, you will make French adjectives agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify, including irregular adjectives.
The Agreement Rule
In French, adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in both gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural). This means most adjectives have four forms.
The Four Forms
Take the adjective petit (small):
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | petit | petits |
| Feminine | petite | petites |
un petit chat — a small cat (masc. sg.) une petite maison — a small house (fem. sg.) des petits chats — small cats (masc. pl.) des petites maisons — small houses (fem. pl.)
Forming the Feminine
Regular: add -e
Most adjectives simply add -e to form the feminine. If the masculine already ends in -e, no change:
| Masculine | Feminine | English |
|---|---|---|
| grand | grande | tall/big |
| petit | petite | small |
| fort | forte | strong |
| intelligent | intelligente | intelligent |
| content | contente | happy |
| bleu | bleue | blue |
| vert | verte | green |
| joli | jolie | pretty |
| fatigué | fatiguée | tired |
When masculine ends in -e, no change: un homme jeune / une femme jeune (a young man/woman)
Irregular Feminine Forms
Some adjectives have irregular feminine forms you must memorize: