Adjectives - agreement
1 Definitions Adjectives are words that give information about a
noun
. Most often adjectives
give descriptive information about a noun (as in The
book is red ), and these are called
qualificative adjectives .
Agreement is a grammatical way of showing that a particular word or
phrase
relates to another e.g. by means of a word ending.
2 Agreements
2.1 GeneralIn French adjectives must agree with the noun(s) they refer to. If a
noun is
feminine
, then all adjectives referring to it must also be feminine. Generally adjectives take an -e in the
feminine:
un acteur connu
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a well-known actor
une actrice connue
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a well-known actress
Il nous a raconté une histoire amusante.
He told us a funny story.
Notre fille aînée passe ses examens cette année.
Our oldest daughter is taking her exams this year.
La vie est dure parfois.
Life is hard sometimes.
Elle commence à être un peu déçue de son attitude.
She’s beginning to get a little disappointed with his attitude.
C’était une découverte très passionnante.
It was a very exciting discovery.
If a noun is
plural
, then all adjectives referring to it must also be
plural. Generally adjectives take an -s in the plural:
un acteur connu
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a well-known actor
des acteurs connus
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well-known actors
Ses arguments ne sont guère convaincants.
His arguments aren’t very convincing.
Nos voisins sont des gens très accueillants.
Our neighbours are very welcoming people.
Ils n’étaient pas du tout contents du repas.
They weren’t at all pleased with the meal.
Tes cheveux sont tout mouillés.
Your hair is all wet.
A votre avis quels sont les événements les plus marquants du vingtième siècle?
In your opinion what were the most significant events of the twentieth century.
If a noun is both
feminine
and
plural
, then all adjectives referring to it must also be feminine and plural. Generally adjectives will take -es :
une actrice connue
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a well-known actress
des actrices connues
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well-known actresses
J’aime bien les asperges cuites à la vapeur.
I really like steamed asparagus.
J’ai laissé les fenêtres ouvertes pendant que je faisais le ménage.
I left the windows open while I did the housework.
Ses visites deviennent de plus en plus fréquentes.
His visits are becoming more and more frequent.
Tu vois la femme aux lunettes noires? C’est une grande actrice.
Can you see the woman with dark glasses? She’s a great actress.
J’ai acheté des poires et des pommes vertes.
I bought some pears and some green apples.
2.2 No changeAdjectives which already end with an -e or -s
remain unchanged:
un homme maigre
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a thin man
une femme maigre
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a thin woman
un plafond bas
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a low ceiling
des plafonds bas
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low ceilings
Les murs de cette pièce sont gris.
The walls in this room are grey.
Il a sorti une chemise propre de son armoire.
He got a clean shirt out of his cupboard.
Les syndicats se plaignent de la faible augmentation des salaires l’an passé.
The unions are complaining about the small increase in salaries in the past year.
Elle est plus mince que sa soeur.
She’s slimmer than her sister.
C’est une chaise très confortable.
It’s a very comfortable chair.
2.3 Irregular formsMany adjectives have
irregular
feminine
and
plural
forms:
Table 31.2.3a: Irregular adjectives (1)
ending masc sing masc pl fem sing fem pl
-al
national nationaux nationale nationales
-c public publics publique publiques
-el réel réels réelle réelles
-en moyen moyens moyenne moyennes
-er léger légers légère légères
-eux sérieux sérieux sérieuse sérieuses
-f vif vifs vive vives
Elle s’est montrée compréhensive à propos de ce problème.
She was understanding about the problem.
La tarte qu’elle nous a préparée était délicieuse.
The tart that she made for us was delicious.
La décision a été confirmée par la Cour européenne de justice .
The decision was confirmed by the European Court of Justice.
Sa contribution au projet a été significative .
His contribution to the project has been significant.
Elle a été très heureuse de nous aider.
She was very happy to see us.
However, some adjectives do not follow any of these patterns:
Table 31.2.3b: Wholly irregular adjectival forms
masculine feminine / plural un sujet banal des propos banals a banal subject banal remarks un cheval blanc la Maison Blanche a white horse the White House un séjour bref une apparition brève a short stay a brief appearance un esprit créateur une personne créatrice a creative mind a creative person un échec complet une collection complète a complete failure a complete collection un tissu doux la peau douce a soft material soft skin un tapis épais une couche épaisse a thick rug a thick layer un faux numéro une fausse alerte a wrong number a false alarm un poème favori une histoire favorite a favourite film a favourite story un portrait flatteur une photographie flatteuse a flattering portrait a flattering photograph un chien fou un histoire folle a mad dog a crazy stor de l’air frais de l’eau fraîche fresh air fresh water un soldat grec une salade grecque a Greek soldier a Greek salad un long film une longue lettre a long film a long letter le secteur naval des chantiers navals the shipbuilding sector shipyards le salaire net une perte nette net salary net loss des cheveux roux une barbe rousse red hair a red beard un vin sec une matière sèche a dry wine a dry material un vieux couple une vieille femme an old couple an old woman
Le PDG a souligné l’importance de la pensée créatrice.
The MD underlined the importance of creative thinking.
Cette région cache les plus belles chutes du monde.
This region hides the most beautiful waterfalls in the world.
Un bateau a sombré au large des côtes turques.
A boat has sunk off the Turkish coast.
Notre fille cadette est entrée à l’université en septembre dernier.
Our youngest daughter went to university last September.
Marie et Sandrine sont des soeurs jumelles.
Marie and Sandrine are twin sisters.
2.4 Special masculine formsSome adjectives have special
masculine
forms ending in -l
which are used before a
vowel
or an h treated
as a vowel:
un beau paysage
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a pretty landscape
un bel oiseau
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a pretty bird
un nouveau rapport
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a new report
un nouvel hôpital
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a pretty bird
un vieux professeur
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a new report
un vieil homme
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an old man
Ils viennent de sortir un nouvel album.
They’ve just brought out a new album.
Michel est un vieil ami de la famille.
Michel is an old friend of the family.
Selon le magazine, un beau divorcé ne fait pas toujours un bel époux.
According to the magazine, a handsome divorcee does not always make a good husband.
2.5 Adjectives not taking an agreementA very small number of adjectives do not agree in the normal manner. Some, such as chic (stylish ), snob (snobbish ) and kaki (khaki ) do not have a feminine form, and sometimes do not take a plural form:
Elle est très chic / Ils sont très chic (s )
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She's very chic / They're very chic
Ma voisine est très snob / Nos voisins sont très snob( s)
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My neighbour's very snobbish / Our neighbours are very snobbish
Others, such as the indefinite adjective plusieurs (several ) and most
nouns
used as adjectives of colour take no
agreement
:
Elle a des cheveux marron
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She's got brown hair
Elle porte des chaussures orange
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She's wearing orange shoes
Elle est allée chez Christian Dior où elle a essayé plusieurs choses.
She went into Christian Dior where she tried on a few things.
Nous avons commandé une demi-bouteille de Bollanger
We ordered a half-bottle of Bollanger.
Ma cousine Marie-Chantal est très snob.
My cousin Marie-Chantal is very snobbish.
Il portait une montre très chic.
He was wearing a very stylish watch.
Elle a acheté une écharpe vert foncé.
She bought a dark-green scarf.
