Hello! I’m Shota, currently living in Canada.
If you’re learning French, you’ve probably realized that adjectives must change depending on the gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) of the noun they describe.
Unlike English, where adjectives stay the same, French adjectives must agree with the noun.
In this article, I’ll explain:
- 💡 How adjective agreement works
- 📘 Rules for pluralizing nouns
- ❗ Common exceptions
- 📝 A mini test to review your understanding
🔵 What is Adjective Agreement?
In French, adjectives take different forms based on:
- Gender of the noun (masculine or feminine)
- Number (singular or plural)
| Adjective | Masculine Singular | Feminine Singular | Masculine Plural | Feminine Plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| petit (small) | petit | petite | petits | petites |
| heureux (happy) | heureux | heureuse | heureux | heureuses |
| bon (good) | bon | bonne | bons | bonnes |
| gentil (kind) | gentil | gentille | gentils | gentilles |
✅ Feminine form usually adds -e, plural adds -s.
🟠 Irregular Adjective Changes
- beau → belle (f), beaux (m. pl.)
- vieux → vieille, vieux
- nouveau → nouvelle, nouveaux
📝 Tip: Learn irregular adjectives in all four forms for fluency.
📚 Rules for Making Nouns Plural
In most cases, just add -s:
- chien → chiens
- fille → filles
💡 Special Cases
- Nouns ending in -eau, -eu: add -x → tableau → tableaux
- Nouns ending in -al: change to -aux → journal → journaux
⚠️ Irregular Plurals
- le ciel → les cieux
- le pneu → les pneus
📝 Mini Quiz
Choose the correct form:
- une femme ________ (kind)
- des garçons ________ (happy)
- un étudiant ________ (active)
- des filles ________ (small)
▶ Show Answers
- gentille
- heureux
- actif
- petites
✅ Summary
- Adjectives must agree in gender and number
- Most plurals add -s, some require -x or -aux
- Practice common adjective forms out loud
Stay tuned for the next post where I’ll cover negation and prepositions like “de” and “à”!
À bientôt!