'different' as an adjective ... before or after the noun and why?
merci
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:
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) :
- followed by a "complementary" group introduced by a preposition (à, de, pour, comme,...):
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)
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
"French Grammar: Adjective Positions" by Transparent French
un bon vin, mais un vin extrêmement bon
a good wine, but an extremely good wine
une haute barrière
a high fence
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 bonne voiture, mais une voiture bonne pour la casse
a good car, but a car only good for scrap
beau/belle (beautiful)
la belle fille
the beautiful girl
bon/bonne (good)
grand/grande (big)
nouveau/nouvelle (new)
la nouvelle voiture
the new car
petit/petite (small)
vieux/vieille (old)
Q&A Forum 18 questions, 28 answers
KathleenKwiziq community member
different as an adjective ... before or after the noun and why?
Asked 1 week ago
Kathleen asked:View original
different as an adjective ... before or after the noun and why?
'different' as an adjective ... before or after the noun and why?
merci
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Aaron Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Using "grand(e)" to describe people
Note that when "grand(e)" is used to describe people, different rules apply:
– un grand homme = a great man
– un homme grand = a tall man
– https://www.linguee.com/french-english/translation/grand+homme.html
– https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/french-english/un-grand-homme
I haven't yet found this distinction set out on Kwiziq, but on lawlessfrench.com we can compare the different treatment as between things and people on these two pages:
– https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/adjectives/
– https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/movable-adjectives/
Asked 7 months ago
Aaron asked:View original
Using "grand(e)" to describe people
Note that when "grand(e)" is used to describe people, different rules apply:
– un grand homme = a great man
– un homme grand = a tall man
– https://www.linguee.com/french-english/translation/grand+homme.html
– https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/french-english/un-grand-homme
I haven't yet found this distinction set out on Kwiziq, but on lawlessfrench.com we can compare the different treatment as between things and people on these two pages:
– https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/adjectives/
– https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/movable-adjectives/
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GrantKwiziq community member
When is joli rather than beau the right word to use?
I was taught that a bâtiment is 'joli' not 'beau'. Is there a reason or rule that explains which adjective to use for different things?
Asked 9 months ago
Hi Grant,
Great question! "Beau/belle" and "joli/jolie" have different meanings, the same way "beautiful" and "pretty" do in English.
"Beau/belle" = "beautiful", so you would use it for describing something that possesses gracious, elegant, qualities of undeniable beauty.
Here are a few examples:
"Le Louvre est un beau bâtiment" (The Louvre is a beautiful building)
"La belle plage de Sète" (The beautiful beach in Sète)
"Les belles roses dans le jardin" (The beautiful roses in the garden)
"Joli/jolie" = "pretty", so you would use it for describing something that possesses visually pleasant, attractive and delicate qualities.
Here are a few examples:
"Une jolie ferme à la campagne" (A pretty farmhouse in the countryside)
"Regarde mes jolies chaussures" (Look at my pretty shoes)
"C'est un joli service à thé" (This is a pretty tea set)
I hope this helps!
Grant asked:View original
When is joli rather than beau the right word to use?
I was taught that a bâtiment is 'joli' not 'beau'. Is there a reason or rule that explains which adjective to use for different things?
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CécileKwiziq team member
HISagar,
Can you report it via the Help and Support section as this is for language questions...
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CindyKwiziq community member
Hallo, I understood that the noun should be put before the adjective so why is Un Chat Petite is incorrect
Asked 1 year ago
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
The situation where adjectives are placed with respect to the noun is not clearcut in French. Some adjectives even change meaning depending on where they stand.
You can check here, for example: https://www.dummies.com/languages/french/how-to-place-of-french-adjectives-correctly/
Cindy asked:View original
Hallo, I understood that the noun should be put before the adjective so why is Un Chat Petite is incorrect
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StevenKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
A useful acronym
An acronym that I like to use is BANGS, which stands for beauty, age, numbers, good/bad, and size.
Adjective relating to these categories usually come before the noun. If you compare this to the list of adjective in the lesson above, you'll see a lot of them fit.
Asked 1 year ago
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Hi Steven, that's a great idea. Gives you a good handle on adjective placement.
-- Chris.
Steven asked:View original
A useful acronym
An acronym that I like to use is BANGS, which stands for beauty, age, numbers, good/bad, and size.
Adjective relating to these categories usually come before the noun. If you compare this to the list of adjective in the lesson above, you'll see a lot of them fit.
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InderpreetKwiziq community member
At times i also face this problem so i am repeatinf this again and again
Asked 1 year ago
Inderpreet asked:View original
At times i also face this problem so i am repeatinf this again and again
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AlisonKwiziq community member
"long/longue" coming before nouns --
This is tough to remember as an English speaker, since I am so familiar with a "chaise longue" -- is this the major exception to the rule that "long" generally comes before a noun?
I see Aurelie's distinction that adjectives before nouns can be figurative and those after descriptive... but calling a chair "long" doesn't seem any more descriptive than calling a path "long," and yet from the lesson the long path is "le long chemin."
Asked 2 years ago
Hi Alison,
That's a very good point but 'chaise longue' refers to a particular type of chair (between a chair and a bed) and is taken as meaning this particular item.
Normally long/longue would precede the noun as in:
C'était un long discours = It was a long speech
C'était un ami de longue date = It/He was a long standing friend
If you look at Steven's contribution at the end of the lesson, He suggests a useful acronym to remember the adjectives that normally come before the noun.
Hope this helps!
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
I guess what Aurélie means with descriptive is what in English one would write with a hyphen.
A "chaise-longue" would be a "long-chair" whereas a "longue chaise" would be a "long chair".
Greetings, -- Chris.
Alison asked:View original
"long/longue" coming before nouns --
This is tough to remember as an English speaker, since I am so familiar with a "chaise longue" -- is this the major exception to the rule that "long" generally comes before a noun?
I see Aurelie's distinction that adjectives before nouns can be figurative and those after descriptive... but calling a chair "long" doesn't seem any more descriptive than calling a path "long," and yet from the lesson the long path is "le long chemin."
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StevensonKwiziq community member
"long adverb" VS "adverb with 2 or more syllables"
Suggestion: If "long adverb" means one with 2 or more syllables, then this should be clearly stated in the explantion. Thx
Asked 2 years ago
Ron Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Bonjour Stevenson,
There is a «grammar rule» that says for adjectives that are longer words, they can be placed before the word without changing the sense of the adjective; however, I don't find a lesson that addresses this issue. I also have not heard it defined about having 2 or more syllables, but that quantification certainly fits. There is; however, a mention about other adjectives that precede the noun:
Other adjectives that go BEFORE nouns
Bonne chance.
AurélieKwiziq team member
Bonjour Stevenson !
I agree with you, and have now updated the lesson accordingly :)
Bonne journée !
Stevenson asked:View original
"long adverb" VS "adverb with 2 or more syllables"
Suggestion: If "long adverb" means one with 2 or more syllables, then this should be clearly stated in the explantion. Thx
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SusanKwiziq community member
Could you explain what a 'complement' is in this context?
Asked 2 years ago
AurélieKwiziq team member
Bonjour Susan !
Thank you for this question: the term "complement" is indeed a bit vague here!
What we meant here was "a complementary group introduced by a preposition (à, pour, comme, ...)".
I've now updated the lesson accordingly.
Merci et à bientôt !
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CameronKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
I don't have a Kwiz on this subject. Why is that?
Asked 3 years ago
AurélieKwiziq team member
Bonjour Cameron !
Could you be more specific as to what your issue is here?
Are you talking about the microKwizzes not appearing on the page?
Please let me know and I'd be happy to help!
CameronKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Yes, that is what the problem is. One lesson's microKwizz did show up but not the other one I was having a problem with. It is the lesson, Short and common adjectives that go BEFORE the noun. Where the quiz should be it says 1 of 0 and the rest is a blank box.
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SueKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
video
Thankyou for the video. There were some errors of English on the video. for example twards the end it is written before the noon, rather than noun.Also the pronunciation of good in English was unrecognisable
Asked 3 years ago
AurélieKwiziq team member
Bonjour Sue !
Thanks for letting us know, we've decided to remove that not-so-great video from this lesson.
Merci et à bientôt !
SueKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
thank you
I think your site is fantastic, but is let down by some of the video quality
on the following lesson it had içi for ici, is this a spelling error or an alternative spelling?
Sue asked:View original
video
Thankyou for the video. There were some errors of English on the video. for example twards the end it is written before the noon, rather than noun.Also the pronunciation of good in English was unrecognisable
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SueKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Grand
Again grand before or after the noun. Le grande homme I am told means the great man, one who is respected etc, whereas l' homme grand is the tall man. If we want to speficy that a person is tall do we have to place grand after the noun. thank you
Asked 3 years ago
AurélieKwiziq team member
Bonjour Sue !
You are correct as for the use of "grand" with "homme" or "femme", but this disctinction doesn't apply to objects or animals, for which you will always place "grand" before to indicate a physical characteristic:
un grand ours
une grande chaise
I hope that's helpful!
Sue asked:View original
Grand
Again grand before or after the noun. Le grande homme I am told means the great man, one who is respected etc, whereas l' homme grand is the tall man. If we want to speficy that a person is tall do we have to place grand after the noun. thank you
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SueKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Jeune
Hi Laura
You have Jeune before the noun, but it can be placed before or afterwards.
The example i was given is un jeune professeur and a professeur jeune. The first meaning he was not long a professeur and the second that he was a professeur who was young in age. If this is the case can we always assume that jeune before the noun means young in age?
Asked 3 years ago
AurélieKwiziq team member
Bonjour Sue,
This lesson at an earlier level gives you the main rule for positions of adjectives in French, but of course (and as always with French!), there are further subtleties.
Generally speaking, a lot of adjectives can be used either before or after the noun and here the nuance: "after" adjectives' meaning is more literal, objective or based on neutral observation (un prof jeune is a statement on his age) whereas "before" adjectives take on more of a subjective, figurative or based on opinion meaning (un jeune prof can be as much about an evaluation of his age as of his inexperience).
I hope that's helpful!
À bientôt !
Sue asked:View original
Jeune
Hi Laura
You have Jeune before the noun, but it can be placed before or afterwards.
The example i was given is un jeune professeur and a professeur jeune. The first meaning he was not long a professeur and the second that he was a professeur who was young in age. If this is the case can we always assume that jeune before the noun means young in age?
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JoakimKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Placement of "long"
"long" is listed here and elsewhere as an adjective that goes before the noun, so how come there are approximately the same number of hits on google for "longs cheveux" and "cheveux longs" (including quotation marks to preserve order) ?
Asked 3 years ago
AurélieKwiziq team member
Bonjour Joakim,
This lesson at an earlier level gives you the main rule for positions of adjectives in French, but of course (and as always with French!), there are further subtleties.
Generally speaking, a lot of adjectives can be used either before or after the noun and here the nuance: "after" adjectives' meaning is more literal, objective or based on neutral observation ("des cheveux longs" is a basic statement on a physical characteristic) whereas "before" adjectives take on more of a subjective, figurative or based on opinion meaning ("de longs cheveux" contains already a positive (or negative) appreciation, and personal opinion).
Obviously, in that specific case, these nuances are very subtle ;)
I hope that's helpful!
Joakim asked:View original
Placement of "long"
"long" is listed here and elsewhere as an adjective that goes before the noun, so how come there are approximately the same number of hits on google for "longs cheveux" and "cheveux longs" (including quotation marks to preserve order) ?
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MarcKwiziq community member
joil / jolie are listed in two lessons
Note that joil / jolie are listed here (good, they are short and common) and also in the lesson "Some less common adjectives go BEFORE the noun". Seems like there is no reason to list it again in the other lesson.
Asked 3 years ago
Marc asked:View original
joil / jolie are listed in two lessons
Note that joil / jolie are listed here (good, they are short and common) and also in the lesson "Some less common adjectives go BEFORE the noun". Seems like there is no reason to list it again in the other lesson.
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DavidKwiziq community member
Position of adjectives
You have given us the general rule and exceptions. This is good. But scrolling down further I find a mind boggling array of existent exceptions. Can I choose to ignore and not worry about those for the short and mid term progress with the language?
Asked 3 years ago
LauraKwiziq team member
Bonjour David,
Yes. The exceptions are a question of style rather than French grammar, so you can just ignore those until you're at B2 or so.
David asked:View original
Position of adjectives
You have given us the general rule and exceptions. This is good. But scrolling down further I find a mind boggling array of existent exceptions. Can I choose to ignore and not worry about those for the short and mid term progress with the language?
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