[ARCHIVE] - All About Adjectives: Agreement, Placement, Figurative, Euphony, Invariability

[Jenga218]

Originally Posted by CommeuneTexane

Agreement

Unlike English adjectives, French adjectives must agree in number and gender with the nouns that they modify. A black dog is un chien noir, but a black dress is une robe noire. Also, remember that some adjectives have the same masculine and feminine form, especially those ending in a silent -e (e.g. riche).

When used with pronouns, adjectives agree with the noun that has been replaced. This is particularly tricky with the formal vous: to a singular man, you would say vous êtes beau, but to plural women, you would say vous êtes belles.

Adjective Placement

In French, most adjectives appear after the nouns they modify. For instance, colors follow the noun, as in le chat noir. However, some adjectives precede the noun. You may find it helpful to remember many these types of adjectives using the mnemonic BANGS.

• B is for beauty: beau, joli. Une belle femme — A beautiful woman
  

• A is for age: nouveau, jeune, vieux. Une jeune fille — A young girl
  

• N is for number. Deux hommes — Two men

  • This can also be for rank: Le premier/dernier mot — The first/last word

• G is for good or bad: bon, mauvais. Un bon garçon — A good boy
  

• S is for size: petit, grand, gros, court, long, large, haut, vaste. Un gros chat — A fat cat

There are a few things to keep in mind. BANGS is not a grammar rule and later on you may encounter a few adjectives that would seem to fit in a BANGS category, but in fact follow the noun. It is a mnemonic device to help you remember many of the common, short adjectives that do precede nouns in French.

However, all determiner adjectives (e.g. possessives, interrogatives, and demonstratives) appear before the noun, e.g. mon livre "my book" and ce cochon "that pig". You will learn these later.

Figurative Adjectives

A few adjectives can come both before and after the noun depending on their meaning. The most common example is grand, which is a BANGS adjective for everything but people. For people, it comes before a noun when it means "important" and after the noun when it means "tall". For instance, Napoleon was un grand homme ("a great man"), but not un homme grand ("a tall man").

Usually, figurative meanings will precede the noun, while literal meanings will follow the noun.

• un pauvre homme — a pitiful/unfortunate man
  

• un homme pauvre — a poor man
  

• un certain nombre — a certain (particular) number
  

• une victoire certaine — a certain (guaranteed) victory
  

• ma propre voiture — my own car
  

• ma voiture propre — my clean car
  

• un cher ami — a dear friend
  

• une montre chère — an expensive watch
  

Euphony

As you have already learned, elisions, contractions, liaisons, and enchaînements are all designed to prevent consecutive vowel sounds (which is called hiatus). This quest for harmonious sounds is called euphony and is an essential feature of French. It has, however, created some unexpected rules.

For instance, the masculine beau ("beautiful") changes to bel if its noun begins with a vowel sound. A beautiful man is un bel homme. The other two common changes are vieux to vieil ("old") and nouveau to nouvel ("new"). You may also encounter fou which becomes fol ("crazy" or "mad") in front of a vowel sound. "A mad hope" is un fol espoir.

Note that this doesn't occur to feminine adjectives because they usually end in silent vowels.

Important: If you find any errors in the Tips and Notes, have questions related to the grammar points above, or would like to discuss the topic in depth, please feel free to comment below. We ask that you keep your comments on topic so that this post stays educational and everyone can benefit from them. Any spam or unrelated comments will be deleted.

For more Tips and Notes, click HERE

[Jenga218]

and you can add : fou => fol => "un fol espoir me prit" but it is not very used (?)

Thank you Bal!
I've added it and your example.

(On dirait, "not used very often".)

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Isn't it Napolean was un homme grand (a tall man) ? " I think in the explanation Napoleon was un grand homme ("a great man"), but un homme grand ("a tall man")". (<> should be removed, isn't it ?)

The explanation "Napoleon was un grand homme ("a great man"), but not un homme grand ("a tall man")." is correct and true.

Napoleon was 1.69m high, which was not small at the time, but he could not be considered as tall.

[Jenga218]

Originally posted by myra

Unlike in the English language, in French, most adjectives come after the noun. Major exceptions like "beau", "jeune", "bon" and "petit" are often taught as the "BAGS" adjectives because they fit into the following categories: Beauty, Age, Goodness, Size. Words like this go before the noun they describe. Example: "Un chat noir" (a black cat) BUT "Un petit chat" (a small cat) http://french.about.com/od/grammar/a/adjectives_4.htm has more information and exceptions to this rule

[Jenga218]

You can also put these words after the noun, but only if you want to sound like a poet.

A poet...or Yoda

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]True, in protuguese and spanish is the same.

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Some adjectives change their meaning with the position. Une femme grande. – She is a tall woman. Une grande femme. – She is a great personality.

Should be sorted under "special category".

That's an example of figurative versus literal meaning.

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le son doux de ta voix, c'est grammaticalement correct, mais pour la beauté de la langue on dit: le DOUX son de ta voix! ça y est!

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One of my favorite examples: Le grand requin blanc

Very helpful. Shows the figurative (before) and the literal (after).

How is "grand" figurative here? I think it is literally a "big white whale." I would have thought that "grand" preceded the noun not because it was figurative, but because it was describing size.

"Grand" is figurative in this case, because it means "great", this sentence translates to "The great white shark". If it were describing size it would come after the noun. This link is very helpful to understand about adjectives with figurative meanings: http://french.about.com/od/grammar/a/ad ... fickle.htm

That resource doesn't tell the whole story about "grand(e)".
In describing a person, grand is "great" when it comes before the noun, and "tall" after, but otherwise, it means "large" or "tall" when it comes before the noun. So "grand requin blanc" can indeed be interpreted as just "large white shark".
The issue with the English "great white shark" is that "great" is not (necessarily or technically) expressing a figurative or subjective judgement in this particular expression. As with many animal and place names, it can actually be considered to be describing simply the relative size of the entity compared to others of its kind, and not necessarily its perceived magnificence. "Great", "greater", "lesser", "least", etc. are often used this way. Some animal examples:
Great

• Great cormorant
  

• Great egret
  

• Great horned owl
  

• Great kiskadee
  

• Great skua
  

• Great white pelican
  

Greater

• Greater adjutant stork
  

• Greater blue-eared starling
  

• Greater flamingo
  

• Greater kudu
  

• Greater rhea
  

• Greater roadrunner
  

• Greater sage grouse
  

Lesser

• Lesser double-collared sunbird
  

• Lesser flamingo
  

• Lesser masked weaver
  

• Lesser mouse lemur
  

Least

• Least chipmunk
  

(An interesting question to consider is which meaning of "grand(e)" is its "usual" meaning, "magnificent" or "large"?)

Two weevils crept from the crumbs. 'You see those weevils, Stephen?' said Jack solemnly.
'I do.'
'Which would you choose?'
'There is not a scrap of difference. Arcades ambo. They are the same species of curculio, and there is nothing to choose between them.'
'But suppose you had to choose?'
'Then I should choose the right-hand weevil; it has a perceptible advantage in both length and breadth.'
'There I have you,' cried Jack. 'You are bit – you are completely dished. Don't you know that in the Navy you must always choose the lesser of two weevils? Oh ha, ha, ha, ha!'
― Patrick O'Brian

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BAGS should actually be BRAGS. When describing rank (such as using the word "premier") you also put it before the noun. Thus it's Beauty, Rank, Age, Goodness, and Size.

Or BANGS which would include numbers

Numbers also come before the noun. And if you want to get really detailed, when adjectives have a literal and a figurative meaning, the figurative meanings appear before the noun. http://french.about.com/od/grammar/a/adjectives_4.htm

And so now we have BRANGS! Anything else?

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It's important to notice that before these adjectives in the plural form the partitive article "des" becomes "de": ex. "j'ai de nouveaux amis", "il y avait de gros problèmes".

Moreover, as my French teacher explained me, one can put an adjective who counts more than two syllables before a noun to put more emphasis to the sentence: ex. "nous avons visité un magnifique musée!"

Thanks for sharing! So if it's not plural but still bangs, would it stay as either du or de la? (e.g. La girafe a "du" long cou)? Or would it be de instead, or even just un?

Thanks in advance

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You can play with the place of adjectives in French, when the adjective can be placed either before or after the noun (as it is the case with some adjective), you can change the meaning or emphatize something by moving the adjective. Ex: une jolie fille (a pretty girl), is not exactly the same than une fille jolie. The second turn of phrase is less common, but emphatize more on "jolie" than the first one.

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"C'est une femme grande" and "C'est une grande femme" mean two different things. First case: "She is a big woman", the second "she is a great woman". Also "propre" and "certain" have a different meaning when put before or after the noun.

Also "pauvre" - "the poor child" meaning "the child who is to be pitied" is "le pauvre enfant" while "the poor child" meaning "the child who has no money" is "l'enfant pauvre", if I remember correctly.

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What do you mean by goodness? Does that mean things like ¨Bon, mal, etc.¨?

That's right, though "mal" is an adverb so it doesn't fit into these categories. However, "goodness" applies to "mauvais".

[Jenga218]

Originally posted by CommeuneTexane

Multiple Adjectives
When multiple adjectives modify a noun, they should come before or after the noun based on the same rules. This means that adjectives may straddle the noun if one is a BANGS adjective.

• La grande robe rouge — The big red dress
  

• Une jeune fille française — A young French girl

When arranging multiple adjectives on the same side, concrete adjectives should usually be placed closer to the noun than abstract ones.

• J'ai un joli petit mouton gris. — I have a lovely little grey sheep.
  

• J'ai un canard blanc courageux. — I have a brave white duck.

You can add conjunctions and adverbs to break up multiple adjectives.

• J'ai un chapeau blanc et bleu. — I have a white and blue hat.
  

• L'homme est fort et sérieux. — The man is strong and serious.
  

• Elle a un très beau chapeau, chaud et violet. — She has a very beautiful, warm purple hat.
  

• J'adore mon propre tout petit lapin blanc très doux. — I love my own very small, white and really soft rabbit.

When there are multiple nouns being described by one adjective, that adjective takes the masculine plural by default.

• Un garçon et une fille italiens — An Italian boy and girl
  

• J'ai une chemise et un manteau bleus. — I have a blue shirt and coat.

However, if the nouns are all feminine, then they take the feminine plural.

• La robe et la jupe vertes — The green dress and skirt

Grand or Gros?
Grand and gros can both mean "big", but they're only partly interchangeable.
Grand tends to be used for:

• General size: La grande robe — The big dress
  

• Height: L'homme est grand. — The man is tall.
  

• Area: La ville est grande. — The city is big.
  

• Figurative size: La grande richesse — The great wealth
  

• Importance: Un grand homme — A great man

Gros tends to be used for:

• Thickness or volume: Une grosse boîte de petits-pois — A big can of peas
  

• Fatness: Un gros chat — A fat cat
  

• Things that are round: Une grosse pomme — A big apple
  

• Seriousness: Un gros problème — A big (serious) problem

Faux Amis

Many English and French words look alike and share meanings. This is because English is heavily influenced by French and Latin. However, there are faux amis ("false friends") that look similar but do not have the same meaning. For instance, gros looks like "gross", but their meanings are not the same. Be careful before assuming the meaning of a French word based on its English lookalike.

[Jenga218]

Originally Posted by Heather_Watkins

The colours "orange" (orange) and "brown" (marron) do not change form (are invariable), regardless of the gender or number of the word they modify. Also, any modifier attached to any colour word renders it invariable. For example, the colour "light blue" (bleu clair) is invariable.

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Which colors vary or not according to gender and numbers in French is actually a quite complicated matter, with several rules and exceptions. A complete reference can be found here : http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accord_des ... de_couleur
And here is a simplified version : http://pourpre.com/langue/accord.php

The second link is dead. It can now be found here: https://pourpre.com/fr/accord

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Just curious, can the word "legere" be used to describe "bleu" as well? "Bleu legere", meaning light blue? Or "legere" can only be used to refer to weights/quantity?

In any case, you would never say « bleu légère », even if the noun it's referring to is feminine. You also can't say « bleu léger » (or « léger bleu ») just like that, it's not a color ; the corresponding color is « bleu clair » (and not « clair bleu » -- just to be precise ; also not « bleus clairs / bleue claire / bleues claires »).

But I do think that in some contexts, it would be ok to use the expression « léger bleu » or « bleu léger » when speaking about some kind of pale, somehow not well-defined blue (I hope I'm being clear), with an article : « elle portait un foulard d'un bleu léger », « le léger bleu de sa jupe », these kind of things. For all I know, it might be of recent use only and inspired by English, I can't say.

As a sidenote, this is not to be confused with « a / some / the light bruise(s) », which in French would translate into « un or des or de / le or les léger(s) bleu(s) ».

Also, just to try and be complete : « bleu pâle » (pale blue) does exist, as well as « bleu foncé » (dark blue).

@sephquartz: I googled the words and it does show up in use in a lot of adverts

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With "bleu clair", "vert pomme" and so on, is the color invariable because it's being treated like a noun, with the adjective "clair" etc modifying it? Or am I way off base?

About « vert pomme », it is actually the opposite, in some way : the noun « pomme » is used as some sort of second adjective to qualify the shade of the color « vert », which is the "main adjective", in a sense ; both adjectives actually forming a single compound adjective, and thus it is invariable : « des yeux vert pomme ».

As a sidenote, more tricky is the fact that some color adjectives - even a few "basic" ones - actually come from nouns : « orange », of course, but also « marron » (brown ; the noun « marron » meaning "chestnut") and « rose » (pink) for example. As such, they should be invariable. But... of course there are exceptions, and some of them - most notably « rose » - are not ! Also, since most people don't know this rule, it is not considered a big mistake to write « marrons » or « oranges » even when they are adjectives.

More to the point, to try and answer your question : I'm not a grammarian nor a linguist, so I can't say absolutely for sure ; but from my point of view, I wouldn't formulate it that way. Whether it is formed from two adjectives - « bleu clair » - or an adjective and a noun - « vert pomme » -, it becomes, as I said, a single compound adjective.

Which doesn't mean that in another context, it can't be used as a noun : "pale blues" translates to « des bleus pâles », for example. But then the rules become even more complex : if the compound adjective is made from an adjective and a noun, and that you use this compound adjective as a noun, then only what originally already was an adjective varies.

To try and make that more clear : you may say a hat is a particular shade of yellow, similar to the color of straw ; you would say « un chapeau jaune paille », plural « des chapeaux jaune paille » (compound adjective, invariable). But if you want to talk about that precise color and say you like it, you would say « J'aime le jaune paille », or, in plural form (let's admit for the sake of the argument that there might be different shades of that color) « J'aime les jaunes paille » ; in that precise latter case, the color « jaune », which is originally an adjective, is used as a noun - hence the fact that it varies - while « paille » (straw), in a sense is the opposite : originally a noun, but somewhat used as an adjective, and hence invariable - even if, to be really precise, they both form a single compound name.

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So do you mean that in the case of light blue it will always be (bleu clair) never ( bleue clair) ? .Also are "brun" and "marron" both words for "brown" or do they refer to different shades or tones?

No. You use brun for a hair color, and marron for everything else. (i.e. tree trunk, chocolate, and so on )

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I've seen a lot of writing on the internet using "marrons," for example "les yeux marrons." So, are those wrong?

Yes, it's wrong indeed, although most native French speakers don't know these rules and make all sorts of mistakes.

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like "apple green" is vert pomme, not verte pomme.

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Yes, "bleu clair" will always be "bleu clair", never "bleue clair" or "bleues clair". The word "brun" does mean brown, but is only used to describe hair. "Marron" is used for everything else brown.