Beau, nouveau, vieux have different plural forms for masculine and feminine (French Adjectives)

In French, adjectives (beau, nouveau, vieux) have different plural forms when they are masculine and they are feminine.

The plural form of the adjectives beau, nouveau, vieux in French

Look at these adjectives:

Tom est beau, mais Henri et Bob sont très beaux.Tom is handsome, but Henri and Bob are very handsome.

Yvette est belle, mais Leila et Belinda sont très belles.Yvette is beautiful, but Leila and Belinda are very beautiful.

Regarde ces vieux hommes et ces vieilles femmes.Look at these old men and these old women.

J'ai acheté de nouveaux bols et de nouvelles assiettes.I bought some new bowls and some new plates.

To form the masculine pluraladd an -x to the adjectives ending in -eau (beau/nouveau), and vieux doesn't change.

To form the feminine plural, it follows the simple rule for pluralisation, and simply takes an -s.

Case of masculine words starting with a vowel or mute h

C'était un vieil hôtel, et j'adore les vieux hôtels !It was an old hotel, and I love old hotels!

Ce vieil arbre est à côté de ces vieux arbres.This old tree is next to these old trees.

Mon nouvel ami s'entend bien avec mes nouveaux amis.My new friend gets along with my new friends.

The masculine forms bel, nouvel and vieil (used in front of a vowel or a mute h) become the regular masculine plural beaux, nouveaux andvieux.

Want to make sure your French sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »

Learn more about these related French grammar topics

Examples and resources

Yvette est belle, mais Leila et Belinda sont très belles.Yvette is beautiful, but Leila and Belinda are very beautiful.
C'est un bel animal parmi de beaux animaux.It's a beautiful animal among beautiful animals.
J'ai acheté de nouveaux bols et de nouvelles assiettes.I bought some new bowls and some new plates.
Mon nouvel ami s'entend bien avec mes nouveaux amis.My new friend gets along with my new friends.
Ce vieil arbre est à côté de ces vieux arbres.This old tree is next to these old trees.
Regarde ces vieux hommes et ces vieilles femmes.Look at these old men and these old women.
"Plurals in French" by www.frenchspanishonline.com
C'était un vieil hôtel, et j'adore les vieux hôtels !It was an old hotel, and I love old hotels!
- Quel bel homme ! - Quels beaux hommes, tu veux dire !- What an handsome man! - What handsome men, you mean!
Son nouvel habit est plus joli que tous mes nouveaux habits.Her new outfit is prettier than all my new outfits.
Tom est beau, mais Henri et Bob sont très beaux.Tom is handsome, but Henri and Bob are very handsome.
Let me take a look at that...