Blanches agreement

Brigid E.B2Kwiziq community member

Blanches agreement

Bonjour,

I recently did an exercise where I learnt about when colour adjectives stay the same in French, e.g. "When the colour is described by a phrase containing two or more words". The phrase was "la veste bleu canard".

Here though the word "blanches" does agree with "pages" and "alternées", which I thought were the words "blanches" is describing.

I would just like to know the reason for the agreement in that phrase.

Merci :)

Asked 7 months ago
Maarten K.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor Correct answer

Brigid, 

in this case there is only one non-compound colour adjective - blanches - which therefore agrees in the plural feminine with the noun it modifies ‘ pages ‘. 

The rule applies to compound colour names. The second adjective here - ‘ alternées ‘ - is not part of the colour name and also agrees with the noun ( pages) that it modifies.

 Compound colour names and colour names derived from things are invariable (French Colour Adjectives)

Blanches agreement

Bonjour,

I recently did an exercise where I learnt about when colour adjectives stay the same in French, e.g. "When the colour is described by a phrase containing two or more words". The phrase was "la veste bleu canard".

Here though the word "blanches" does agree with "pages" and "alternées", which I thought were the words "blanches" is describing.

I would just like to know the reason for the agreement in that phrase.

Merci :)

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