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Level 28 - Adjectives
Adjectives are words which describe nouns. Remember that a noun can be a person, a place, an object, a quality or an idea.
This and that (demonstrative adjectives)
Demonstrative adjectives mean 'this' and 'that'. There are four different words: ce and cet (masculine), cette (feminine) and ces (plural). To make it clearer whether we mean 'this' or 'that' we can use the extra words -ci ('here') and -là ('there') to help us. Unlike most adjectives, these words go before the noun.
ce
ce livre
ce livre-ci
ce livre-là
cet
cet autobus
cet autobus-ci
cet autobus-là
cette
cette poire
cette poire-ci
cette poire-là
ces
ces livres
ces autobus-ci
ces poires-là |
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this / that (m.)
this book / that book
this book here
that book there
this / that (m. before vowel or silent h)
this bus / that bus
this bus here
that bus there
this / that (f.)
this pear
this pear here
that pear there
these / those
these books / those books
these buses here
those buses there
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All / Every
There are four words for this: tout (masculine singular), tous (masculine plural), toute (feminine singular) and toutes (feminine plural). Again, unusually for adjectives, these go before the noun.
tout le monde
tous les jours
toute l'argent
toutes les filles
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the whole world (everybody)
every day
all the money
all the girls
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List of adjectives
Here is a list of adjectives which you need to know on top of the colours (Level 3), nationalities (Level 24) and personal description (Level 29). You do not have to learn them all now but make sure you come back to them later. Remember, adjectives in French normally go after the noun and must agree with the noun they are describing, whether masculine or feminine, singular or plural. To make a plural agreement we add s (unless there is already one there), to make a feminine agreement we add e (unless there is already one there; remember é is a different letter and so still needs an extra e) and to make a feminine plural agreement we add es. Some of these adjectives are irregular and these will be pointed out to you.
active
affreuse
amoureuse de
ancienne
basse
bel before vowel or silent h / belle / beaux /
belles
bien payée
bonne
invariable, no s on plural
brève
chère
invariable, no s on plural chic
complète
dangereuse
délicieuse
dernière
douce
ennuyeuse
étrangère
invariable, no s on plural extra
invariable fana
fausse
favorite
fermée à clef
fière
fol before vowel or silent h / folle / fous/
folles
fraîche
franche
généreuse
gentille
grasse
grosse
heureuse
individuelle
industrielle
journalière
joyeuse
légère
longue
mal payée
malheureuse
merveilleuse
mignonne
montagneuse
mol before vowel or silent h / molle / mous/
molles
moyenne
naturelle
négative
neuve
nombreuse
non comprise
nouvel before vowel or silent h / nouvelle / nouveaux / nouvelles
nulle
paresseuse
pas chère
pluvieuse
positive
première
professionnelle
publique
quotidienne
réelle
religieuse
sèche
sérieuse
silencieuse
sotte
spacieuse
sportive
super
sympa
tardive
travailleuse
végétarienne
vieil before vowel or silent h / vieille / vieux / vieilles
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abandonné
abominable
absent
actif
affreux
âgé
agréable
aimable
aîné
amoureux de
amusant
ancien
animé
aucun
autre
barbant
bas
bavard
beau
bête
bien payé
blessé
bon
bon marché
bref
bruyant
calme
carré
cassé
célèbre
célibataire
central
chaque
chaud
cher
chic
chouette!
clair
comique
commercial
commode
complet
compliqué
compris
confortable
content
correct
couvert
dangereux
dégoûtant
délicieux
demi
dernier
désolé
différent
difficile
direct
divorcé
double
doux
droit
drôle
dur
dynamique
égal
égoïste
électrique
enchanté
ennuyeux
enrhumé
ensoleillé
entendu
équilibré
étranger
étroit
exact
excellent
expérimenté
extra!
facile
faible
fana de
fanatique de
fatigant
fatigué
faux
favori
fermé
fermé à clef
fier
foncé
formidable!
fort
fou
frais
franc
froid
général
généreux
génial!
gentil
grand
gras
gratuit
grave
gros
habile
habillé
haut
hébdomadaire
heureux
historique
honnête
humide
idiot
impatient
impoli
important
impossible
improbable
inclus
incroyable
individuel
industriel
injuste
intelligent
interdit
intéressant
inutile
jeune
joli
journalier
joyeux
jumelé
juste
laid
large
léger
lent
libre
lointain
long
lourd
magnifique
maigre
mal payé
malade
malheureux
malhonnête
marié
mauvais
méchant
meilleur
même
merveilleux
mignon
militaire
mince
moche
moindre
moderne
montagneux
mort
mou
mouillé
moyen
mûr
musclé
naturel
nautique
nécessaire
négatif
neuf
nombreux
non compris
non potable
normal
nouveau
nul
obligatoire
occupé
optimiste
ouvert
paresseux
parfait
pas cher
passé
passionnant
patient
pauvre
pénible
pessimiste
petit
physique
pire
pittoresque
plastique
plein
pluvieux
poli
pollué
portable
positif
possible
potable
pratique
préféré
premier
présent
pressé
prêt
principal
privé
probable
prochain
proche
professionnel
propre
public
qualifié
quelque
quotidien
rapide
rare
ravi
récent
recherché
reconnaissant
réduit
réel
religieux
riche
sage
sain
sal
satisfait
scolaire
sec
second
séparé
sérieux
seul
sévère
silencieux
simple
situé
sombre
sot
sous-titré
spacieux
spécial
sportif
strict
stupide
sucré
suivant
super
sympa
tardif
timide
touristique
tranquille
travailleur
triste
typique
unique
utile
valable
varié
vaste
végétarien
vêtu
vide
vieux
vilain
voisin
vrai |
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abandoned
dreadful
absent
active
awful
old
nice
kind / nice (person)
older / oldest in the family
in love with
funny
former / old
busy / lively
no
other
extremely boring
low
talkative
beautiful / fine / handsome
stupid
well paid
injured
good
cheap
brief
noisy
calm
square /straightforward
broken
famous
single (marital status)
central
each
hot
dear / expensive
nice / smart / stylish
great!
clear / light (colour)
funny
commercial
convenient / handy
complete
complicated
included
comfortable
happy
correct
covered
dangerous
disgusting
delicious
half
last
sorry
different
difficult
direct
divorced
double
soft / sweet / mild
straight
funny
hard
dynamic
equal
selfish
electric
delighted
annoying / boring
suffering from a cold
sunny
agreed
well-balanced
foreign, strange
narrow
exact / correct
excellent
experienced
brilliant!
easy
weak
fanatical about
fanatical about
tiring
tired
false / wrong
favourite
closed
locked
proud
dark (e.g. colour)
tremendous!
strong / loud
mad
fresh / cool
frank / straightforward
cold
general
generous
fantastic!
kind
great / big / tall
fat
free (no cost)
serious
fat
clever / skilful
dressed
high
weekly
happy
historical
honest
wet / humid
idiotic
impatient
impolite
important
impossible
improbable
inclusive
incredible
individual
industrial
unfair
intelligent
forbidden
interesting
useless
young
pretty / attractive
daily
joyful / merry
twinned
fair
ugly
wide
light (mild / not heavy)
slow
free (available)
faraway
long
heavy
magnificent
thin
badly paid
ill
unhappy / unfortunate / unlucky
dishonest
married
bad
nasty / naughty
better
same
marvellous
sweet / cute
military
slim
ugly
least
modern
mountainous
dead
soft
wet / soaking
average / medium
ripe / mature
muscular
natural
nautical
necessary
negative
new
numerous
not included
not drinkable
normal
new
rubbish
obligatory
busy / occupied
optimistic
open
lazy
perfect
cheap
last (e.g. week, month)
exciting / fascinating
patient
poor
hard
/ painful / tiresome
pessimistic
small
physical
worse
picturesque
plastic
full
rainy
polite
polluted
portable
positive
possible
drinkable
practical
favourite
first
present
urgent / hurried / pressed
ready
main
private
probable
next
nearby
professional
own / clean
public
qualified
some
daily
fast
rare
delighted
recent
elegant / refined
grateful
reduced
real
religious
rich
wise
healthy
dirty
satisfied
to do with school
dry
second
separated
serious
only / alone / lonely
severe
silent
simple / single
situated
dark (e.g. night, room) / gloomy
silly / foolish
subtitled
spacious
special
sporty / to do with sport
strict
stupid
sugared / sweet (flavour)
following
super
nice
late
shy
for tourists
quiet
hard-working
sad
typical
unique
useful
valid / worthwhile
varied
vast
vegetarian
dressed
empty
old
ugly / nasty / naughty
neighbouring
true / real
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Adjectives which go before the noun
We learnt in Level 3 that adjectives in French are positioned after the noun - we say un stylo rouge (literally 'a pen red') when we mean 'a red pen'. There is however a list of adjectives which go before the noun in French. Sometimes the adjective can go before or after and the meaning is slightly changed by this positioning. If you want to say 'some' before one of these adjectives you must say de instead of des, for example de jolies filles 'some pretty girls'.
autre
beau
bon
bref
double
gros
haut
jeune
joli
long
mauvais
méchant
nouveau
petit
tout
vaste
vilain
vieux |
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other
beautiful / fine / handsome
good
brief
double
fat
high
young
pretty / attractive
long
bad
nasty / naughty
new
small
every
vast
ugly / nasty / naughty
old
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Meaning before noun
old (former)
dear (cherished)
last (final)
big, great
poor (unfortunate)
own
only
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ancien
cher
dernier
grand
pauvre
propre
seul
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Meaning after noun
old (in age)
expensive
last (previous, e.g. week, month)
tall
poor (not rich)
clean
alone / lonely |
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