Adjectives: Agreement

In French, adjectives need to agree in both number and gender with the nouns they modify. This means that the adjectives must match the gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) of the noun.

Here's how you can apply the concept of adjective agreement to ensure that your French adjectives are correctly matched to the nouns:

Gender Agreement

1. Masculine Nouns: If the noun is masculine, the adjective used to describe it should also be in the masculine form.

   • Example: For the phrase "un livre intéressant" (an interesting book), the adjective "intéressant" is in the masculine form to agree with the masculine noun "livre" (book).

2. Feminine Nouns: If the noun is feminine, the adjective used to describe it should be in the feminine form.

   • Example: For the phrase "une chaise confortable" (a comfortable chair), the adjective "confortable" is in the feminine form to agree with the feminine noun "chaise" (chair).

Number Agreement

1. Singular Nouns: When the noun is singular, the adjective should also be in the singular form.

   • Example: For the phrase "une maison belle" (a beautiful house), the adjective "belle" is in the singular form to match the singular noun "maison" (house).

2. Plural Nouns: If the noun is plural, the adjective used to describe it should be in the plural form.

   • Example: For the phrase "des fleurs rouges" (red flowers), the adjective "rouges" is in the plural form to agree with the plural noun "fleurs" (flowers).

Exceptions

1. Adjectives Ending in -e: Some adjectives that end in -e remain the same for both masculine and feminine forms.

   • Example: "un livre intéressant" (an interesting book) and "une histoire intéressante" (an interesting story), where the adjective "intéressant/ intéressante" is the same in both masculine and feminine forms.

2. Adjectives Ending in -x or --s: Adjectives that end in -x or -s remain the same for both masculine and feminine forms.

   • Example: "un livre français" (a French book) and "une histoire française" (a French story), where the adjective "français/française" remains the same in both masculine and feminine forms.

Remember, the agreement of adjectives with nouns is essential to maintain proper grammar and clarity in French sentences. By applying these rules, you can ensure that your adjectives are correctly matched to the nouns they modify. Practice using adjectives with nouns in different sentences to become comfortable with adjective agreement.

Remember, the agreement of adjectives with nouns is essential to maintain proper grammar and clarity in French sentences. By applying these rules, you can ensure that your adjectives are correctly matched to the nouns they modify. Practice using adjectives with nouns in different sentences to become comfortable with adjective agreement.