French is popular for being one of the softest and most romantic languages in the world, and some French terms and words have become an integral part of our everyday language, n’est pas? If knowing just a few French terms isn’t enough for you, and you want to know more, read on for a list of commonly used French adjectives.
Don’t Forget!
Every noun in the French language has a gender―it is either masculine or feminine. The adjectives always have to agree with the gender and number of the noun.
To put it simply, adjectives are defined as ‘describing words’ or words that describe a noun, or a noun phrase. The adjective gives more information about the noun, thus giving it more quality in that sentence. For instance, in English, we use adjectives such as pretty, vain, ancient, cold, etc., to describe nouns. Similarly, the French language uses adjectives too, for describing various nouns. However, the position of adjectives in French greatly differs from the position of adjectives in English.
In English, the adjective is positioned BEFORE the noun. For instance: The hot coffee, where hot is the adjective describing coffee, which is the noun. In French, the adjective is positioned AFTER the noun. For instance- Le café chaud, where chaud is the adjective, and le café is the noun. (Oh and by the way, I have used the same phrase as an example in both languages. So le café chaud is the hot coffee.)
This rule of the positioning of the adjective generally applies to most of the adjectives in French. However, just like most rules have their exceptions, this one does too.
Before we get into the list of adjectives, however, there are a few things I’d like you to know, and which you should keep in mind whenever you read/write/speak French.
- As mentioned above, every single noun has a gender―it is either masculine or feminine. There is no ‘it’. It’s always a ‘he’ or a ‘she’, even in the case of inanimate objects.
- Except for a few cases, the feminine words always end with an ‘e’. However, I repeat, there are a few exceptions to this.
- To make a masculine word plural, an ‘s’ is added at the end. In case of a feminine word, ‘es’ is added to make it plural. Remember, there are exceptions to this rule too.
List of French Adjectives That are Positioned Before The Noun
| Adjective | Meaning |
| Belle | Beautiful |
| Beau | Handsome |
| Long(ue) | Long |
| Joli(e) | Pretty, Cute |
| Bon(ne) | Good |
| Mauvais(e) | Bad |
| Petit(e) | Small, Tiny |
| Nouveau /Nouvel(le) | New |
| Excellent(e) | Excellent, Wonderful |
| Vieux / Vieil(le) | Old |
| Gros(se) | Fat |
| Grand(e) | Big, Huge |
| Jeune | Young |
| Même | Same |
| Meilleur(e) | Better |
| Vilain(e) | Wicked, Bad |
French Adjectives To Describe a Person’s Appearance
| Adjective (m) | Adjective (f) | Meaning |
| Beau | Belle | Beautiful, Handsome |
| Attrayant | Attrayante | Attractive |
| Joli | Jolie | Pretty, Cute |
| Laid | Laide | Ugly |
| Grand | Grande | Big, Tall |
| Petit | Petite | Small, Tiny |
| Gros | Grosse | Fat, Overweight |
| Mince | Mince | Thin, Slender |
| Blond | Blonde | Blond |
| Chauve | Chauve | Bald |
| En bonne santé | En bonne santé | Healthy |
| Faible | Faible | Weak |
| Fort | Forte | Strong |
French Adjectives To Describe Personality
| Adjective (m) | Adjective (f) | Meaning |
| Bon | Bonne | Good |
| Mauvais | Mauvaise | Bad |
| Sympathique | Sympathique | Nice, Kind-hearted |
| Sympas | Sympas | Nice |
| Gentil | Gentille | Gentle, Nice |
| Optimist | Optimiste | Optimistic, Positive |
| Pessimist | Pessimiste | Pessimistic, Negative |
| Affectueux | Affectueuse | Affectionate |
| Amical | Amicale | Amicable, Friendly |
| Abordable | Abordable | Approachable |
| Franc | Franche | Candid, Innocent |
| Généreux | Généreuse | Generous |
| Utile | Utile | Helpful |
| Bavard | Bavarde | Talkative |
| Compétant | Compétante | Capable |
| Drôle | Drôle | Funny |
| Intellectual | Intellectuelle | Academic |
| À la mode | À la mode | Stylish, Fashionable |
| Sensible | Sensible | Sensitive |
| Courageux | Courageuse | Brave |
| Vaniteux | Vaniteuse | Vain |
| Impoli | Impolie | Impolite, Rude |
| Méchant | Méchante | Bad, Mean, Wicked |
| Odieux | Odieuse | Obnoxious |
Other Commonly Used French Adjectives
| Adjective (m) | Adjective (f) | Meaning |
| Froid | Froide | Cold |
| Chaud | Chaude | Hot |
| Clair | Claire | Bright |
| Haut | Haute | High |
| Propre | Propre | Clean |
| Sal | Salle | Dirty |
| Plein | Plein | Full |
| Lourd | Lourde | Heavy |
| Léger | Légère | Light (Not heavy) |
| Vide | Vide | Empty |
| Sec | Sèche | Dry |
| Humide | Humide | Damp |
| Loin | Loin | Far |
| Proche | Proche | Near |
| Riche | Riche | Rich |
| Pauvre | Pauvre | Poor |
| Facile | Facile | Easy |
| Difficile | Difficile | Difficult |
| Heureux | Heureuse | Happy |
| Triste | Triste | Sad |
| Fatigué | Fatiguée | Tired |
| Fou | Folle | Mad |
| Mou | Molle | Soft |
French Demonstrative Adjectives
Demonstrative adjectives are normally used to replace articles in order to indicate a specific noun. Demonstrative adjectives in English are this, that, these, those. Demonstrative adjectives in French are supposed to agree with the gender and the number of the noun, unlike demonstrative adjectives in English, which are common for all nouns.
➔ Ce: This/That Masculine Singular
➔ Cet: This/That Masculine Singular, used if the succeeding word begins with a vowel
➔ Cette: This/That Feminine Singular
➔ Ces: These/Those ( for both masculine and feminine nouns)
Irregular French Adjectives
Most of the adjectives we commonly use in French are regular. However, there are a few irregular adjectives that have irregular masculine and feminine forms, and even an irregular plural form.
| (m/s) form | (m/s) form (vowel) | (f/s) form | (m/p) form | (f/p) form |
| Beau | Bel | Belle | Beaux | Belles |
| Vieux | Vieil | Veille | Vieux | Veilles |
| Nouveau | Nouvel | Nouvelle | Nouveaux | Nouvelles |
| Fou | Fol | Folle | Fous | Folles |
| Mou | Mol | Molle | Mous | Molles |
Remembering all these adjectives may seem a little overwhelming at first, but it’ll soon get easier with practice. Remember, the adjective has to agree with the number and the gender of the noun, and that every noun is either masculine, or feminine! With these rules in mind, you’ll definitely get the hang of these adjectives in no time! Bon chance!
