Advanced Adjectival Agreement Rules

In French, adjectives must agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify. This agreement is essential for achieving accuracy in both oral and written French. In this guide, we will delve into advanced adjectival agreement rules to help you polish your ability to understand and use them correctly.

1. Gender Agreement

1. Masculine: Most adjectives have a masculine form ending in -eux, -if, or a consonant. For example:

   • beau (beautiful), actif (active), grand (tall).

2. Feminine: To form the feminine of these adjectives, replace the masculine ending with -euse, -ive, or -nde. For example:

   • belle (beautiful), active (active), grande (tall).

3. Some adjectives have a single form for both genders. They remain the same regardless of the noun's gender. For example:

   • orange (orange), étrange (strange), brave (brave).

2. Number Agreement

1. Singular: Adjectives ending in a consonant add -s in the plural form. For example:

   • intelligent (intelligent) becomes intelligents (intelligent).

2. Adjectives ending in -e do not change in the plural form. For example:

   • forte (strong) remains forte (strong).

3. Plural: Adjectives ending in -s, -x, or -z do not change in the plural form. For example:

   • amusants (funny), heureux (happy), fâchés (angry).

4. Some adjectives have irregular plural forms. Here are a few examples:

   • beau (beautiful) becomes beaux (beautiful) in the plural form.
   • nouveau (new) becomes nouveaux (new) in the plural form.
   • vieux (old) becomes vieux (old) in the plural form.

3. Agreement with Plural Nouns

When an adjective modifies multiple nouns, the agreement is made with the closest noun.

Example:

• Il porte une chemise et une cravate rouges. (He is wearing a red shirt and tie.)
• The adjective rouges agrees with the closest noun, cravate, which is feminine and plural.

4. Agreement with Compound Nouns

When an adjective modifies a compound noun, the agreement is made with the last element of the compound noun.

Example:

• Un homme sourd-muet. (A deaf-mute man.)
• The adjective sourd-muet agrees with the noun homme, which is masculine.

5. Agreement with Modified Nouns

If an adjective modifies multiple nouns of different genders, it takes on the masculine plural form.

Example:

• Une femme et un homme heureux. (A happy woman and man.)
• The adjective heureux takes on the masculine plural form because it is modifying both a feminine and a masculine noun.

6. Irregular Adjectives

Some adjectives have irregular forms. Here are a few examples:

• beau (beautiful): bel (masculine singular before a vowel or silent h), beau (masculine singular before a consonant).
• nouveau (new): nouvel (masculine singular before a vowel or silent h), nouveau (masculine singular before a consonant).

Remember that practice is key to mastering adjectival agreement in French. Keep these rules in mind and pay attention to gender and number when using adjectives. With time and practice, you will become more confident in your ability to apply these rules accurately.