Adjective Placement
Tap a French term to hear it pronounced.
Placement
Adjectives usually are placed after the noun they modify. There is a short list of adjectives that typically are placed before the noun. Most are short, one or two syllable words.
| Adjective | Definition |
|---|---|
| autre | another |
| haut | high |
| beau | beautiful |
| joli | pretty |
| bref | brief |
| mauvais | bad |
| bon | good |
| nouveau | new |
| double | double |
| petit | small |
| faux | false |
| vaste | vast |
| grand | large |
| vieux | old |
| gros | fat |
une belle montagne
a beautiful mountain
a beautiful mountain
un mauvais temps
bad weather
bad weather
un petit cadeau
a small gift
a small gift
Some adjectives can appear either before or after a noun. When placed before the noun, they usually take on a more figurative meaning.
L'homme pauvre
a poor man (financially)
a poor man (financially)
Le pauvre homme
a man that is unfortunate or deserving of pity
a man that is unfortunate or deserving of pity
un ancien président
a former president
a former president
un président ancien
an old president
an old president
ma chère mère
my dear mother
my dear mother
un légume cher
an expensive vegetable
an expensive vegetable
un grand peintre
a great painter
a great painter
un peintre grand
a tall painter
a tall painter
ma propre cuisine
my own kitchen
my own kitchen
ma cuisine propre
my clean kitchen
my clean kitchen
Il est la seule personne qui a terminé la course.
He is the only person that finished the race.
He is the only person that finished the race.
Un homme seul ne peut pas sauver le monde. Nous devons le faire ensemble.
A single man cannot save the world. We must do it together.
A single man cannot save the world. We must do it together.
