In French, the main rule regarding the position of adjectives is that they usually come AFTER the noun, [see Adjectives usually go AFTER nouns (adjective position)], but as always in French, there are exceptions!
Here is a list of short and very common adjectives that go BEFORE the noun:
Masculine and feminine forms |
English |
bon / bonne
|
good |
mauvais / mauvaise
|
bad |
beau / belle
|
beautiful, handsome |
joli / jolie
|
pretty |
vilain / vilaine
|
ugly, nasty/naughty |
jeune
|
young |
vieux / vieille
|
old |
grand / grande
|
big, tall |
petit / petite
|
small, little |
gros / grosse
|
big, fat |
faux / fausse
|
false |
bref / brève
|
brief, short |
long / longue
|
long |
haut / haute
|
high |
vaste
|
vast |
nouveau / nouvelle
|
new |
Here are some examples with these adjectives:
la belle fille
the beautiful girl
le petit chien
the small dog
la grande maison
the big house
la nouvelle voiture
the new car
une bonne idée
a good idea
un vieux pull
an old jumper
le long chemin
the long road
une brève réunion
a brief meeting
un joli chapeau
a pretty hat
une mauvaise blague
a bad joke
ATTENTION:
As stated in Adjectives usually go AFTER nouns (adjective position), these adjectives will be AFTER the noun if :
- used with a long adverb (2 or more syllables) :
un bon vin, mais un vin extrêmement bon
a good wine, but an extremely good wine
- followed by a "complementary" group introduced by a preposition (à, de, pour, comme,...):
une bonne voiture, mais une voiture bonne pour la casse
a good car, but a car only good for scrap
These are not the only exceptions placed BEFORE the noun they refer to - see the more advanced lesson: Other adjectives that go BEFORE nouns
See also how beau, vieux and nouveau are different: Beau, nouveau, vieux, fou, mou have two masculine forms and one feminine form and Beau, nouveau, vieux have different plural forms for masculine and feminine (adjectives)
See also Adjectives usually go AFTER nouns (adjective position)
"French Grammar: Adjective Positions" by Transparent French
une haute barrière
a high fence
le long chemin
the long road
une brève réunion
a brief meeting
Sur le long chemin,
Tout blanc de neige blanche,
Un vieux monsieur s'avance,
On the long path,
All white with white snow,
An old man advances,
un vaste territoire
a vast land
une mauvaise blague
a bad joke
une bonne voiture, mais une voiture bonne pour la casse
a good car, but a car only good for scrap
un joli chapeau
a pretty hat
un bon vin, mais un vin extrêmement bon
a good wine, but an extremely good wine
beau/belle (beautiful)
la belle fille
the beautiful girl
bon/bonne (good)
une bonne idée
a good idea
grand/grande (big)
la grande maison
the big house
nouveau/nouvelle (new)
la nouvelle voiture
the new car
petit/petite (small)
le petit chien
the small dog
vieux/vieille (old)
un vieux pull
an old jumper