French · Rung 5 of 26

Adjectives: gender, number and position

Adjectives agree in gender and number, and the feminine is almost always a silent -e that makes the preceding consonant sound: grand / grande, petit / petite. Those already ending in -e do not change: rouge, jeune. Some families have their own rules: -eux becomes -euse (heureux / heureuse), -f becomes -ve (neuf / neuve), -er becomes -ère (cher / chère). The big difference from English is position: the French adjective follows the noun, except for a short list that precedes it and must be learnt: beau, bon, grand, gros, jeune, joli, mauvais, nouveau, petit, vieux. With a few, position changes the meaning: un homme grand is a tall man, un grand homme a great one.

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Articles and gender

Exercises from this rung

Generated by the app, from easiest to hardest

  1. l'___ hôtel

    • bonnes
    • bons
    • bonne
    • bon

    Why The four forms are bon (m), bonne (f), bons (m pl), bonnes (f pl). “hôtel” is masculine, so bon is the one. It is one of the few that precede the noun: beau, bon, grand, gros, jeune, joli, mauvais, nouveau, petit, vieux.

    easier

  2. la voiture ___

    • actives
    • active
    • actif
    • actifs

    Why The four forms are actif (m), active (f), actifs (m pl), actives (f pl). “voiture” is feminine, so active is the one. Like most of them, it follows the noun, unlike English.

    in between

  3. les voitures ___

    • actives
    • actif
    • actifs
    • active

    Why The four forms are actif (m), active (f), actifs (m pl), actives (f pl). “voiture” is feminine plural, so actives is the one. Like most of them, it follows the noun, unlike English.

    harder