Dear anyone,
Your duolingo forum registration isn't automaticaly transferred to duome forum so in order to join duome forums you need to register with your existing or any other username and email; in any case it's advised that you choose a new password for the forum.
~ Duome Team

How flexible is adjective-noun word order in French?

Moderators: MoniqueMaRie, dakanga

Cifi

How flexible is adjective-noun word order in French?

Post by Cifi »

I thought it would depend solely on the adjective, some preceding the noun and all the rest going after it.

Bon is a very prominent one of the former, but then Duolingo surprised me with "Elle s'appelle Blanche et elle fait des œufs très bons" where I would have expected "... elle fait de très bons œufs".

Why is this different here, and can we say both or not?

Native: :de: Intermediate: :uk: Lower intermediate: :es: Beginner: :fr: Absolute beginner: 🇬🇷
(If there are errors in what I'm writing in either language, please do correct me - I'll never take it as offense or something like that.)

Jim606185
Australia

Re: How flexible is adjective-noun word order in French?

Post by Jim606185 »

This is something that surprised me too. Bon can actually be used as an adverb in some rare situations, particularly after the verbs faire and sentir. In this case Blanche is making the eggs very well.

Native English Speaker. Currently studying French, German (basic), Dutch (Beginner), Italian (Intermediate), Russian (basic), Chinese (beginner), Scottish Gaelic (Intermediate), Norwegian (Basic)
Ic rǣde englisc spræce.

Destal
France

Re: How flexible is adjective-noun word order in French?

Post by Destal »

I would rather say "elle fait de très bons œufs", definitely more natural to me. Putting it at the end sorta emphasises it, and even if I wanted to emphasise it, I would just insist on "très bons" rather than moving it at the end.

There are different reasons for changing the order, most of the time it depends on the adjective as you said.
The adverb too I guess, I would rather say "Elle fait des œufs particulièrement bons" than "Elle fait de particulièrement bons œufs".
I can also think of a poetical reason, "cette sombre nuit" sounds more elevated than "cette nuit sombre".

Post Reply

Return to “Questions”