Adjectives let you describe people, places, things, and ideas. You can use them to say that a person is friendly, a house is big, a book is interesting, or an exercise is difficult.
Start with a group of common adjectives that you can use in many everyday situations.
Common descriptive adjectives
These adjectives are useful for making simple descriptions:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| grand | big / tall |
| petit | small / short |
| bon | good |
| mauvais | bad |
| beau | beautiful / handsome |
| joli | pretty |
| nouveau | new |
| vieux | old |
| jeune | young |
| facile | easy |
| difficile | difficult |
| important | important |
| intéressant | interesting |
| différent | different |
The meaning of an adjective can depend on what you describe. For example, grand can mean "big" for a thing and "tall" for a person.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| une grande maison | a big house |
| un grand homme | a tall man |
| un petit appartement | a small apartment |
| un exercice facile | an easy exercise |
| un livre intéressant | an interesting book |
Describing people
Some adjectives are especially useful for describing someone's appearance, personality, or general characteristics:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| grand | tall |
| petit | short |
| jeune | young |
| gentil | kind / nice |
| sympathique | nice / friendly |
| sérieux | serious |
| calme | calm |
| drôle | funny |
| intelligent | intelligent |
| timide | shy |
You can use être followed by an adjective.
être + adjective
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Paul est grand. | Paul is tall. |
| Marie est sympathique. | Marie is friendly. |
| Il est très calme. | He's very calm. |
| Elle est intelligente. | She's intelligent. |
Describing things and places
Many adjectives can also describe objects, places, experiences, and ideas.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| La maison est grande. | The house is big. |
| Le café est petit. | The café is small. |
| Le film est intéressant. | The movie is interesting. |
| L'exercice est difficile. | The exercise is difficult. |
| Le restaurant est bon. | The restaurant is good. |
| La ville est belle. | The city is beautiful. |
You can also use an adjective directly with a noun:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| une belle ville | a beautiful city |
| un bon restaurant | a good restaurant |
| un exercice difficile | a difficult exercise |
| une petite maison | a small house |
Adjectives agree with what they describe
French adjectives agree with the noun or person they describe. This means that you may see different forms of the same adjective.
For example:
| Masculine | Feminine | English |
|---|---|---|
| grand | grande | big / tall |
| petit | petite | small / short |
| intelligent | intelligente | intelligent |
| beau | belle | beautiful / handsome |
You do not need to learn all the agreement patterns here. The important thing is to recognize that forms such as grand and grande are forms of the same adjective.
Adjectives also agree with plural nouns:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| un petit café | a small café |
| des petits cafés | small cafés |
| une petite maison | a small house |
| des petites maisons | small houses |
The adjective agreement guide explains these changes in more detail, including common feminine and plural patterns.
Adjectives can come before or after a noun
You will see adjectives in different positions in French.
Many adjectives come after the noun:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| un livre intéressant | an interesting book |
| un exercice difficile | a difficult exercise |
| une personne sympathique | a friendly person |
| une ville calme | a quiet city |
Some common adjectives come before the noun:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| un grand appartement | a big apartment |
| une petite maison | a small house |
| un bon restaurant | a good restaurant |
| une belle ville | a beautiful city |
| un nouveau livre | a new book |
The adjective position guide explains the patterns that determine where adjectives appear and how position can sometimes affect meaning.
Making a description stronger
Use très before an adjective to mean "very."
très + adjective
| French | English |
|---|---|
| très grand | very big / tall |
| très petit | very small / short |
| très intéressant | very interesting |
| très difficile | very difficult |
You can use the same pattern after être:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| La maison est très grande. | The house is very big. |
| Le livre est très intéressant. | The book is very interesting. |
| Marie est très sympathique. | Marie is very friendly. |
| L'exercice est très difficile. | The exercise is very difficult. |
Putting it together
With a small group of common adjectives, you can make many useful descriptions:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| C'est un petit restaurant très sympathique. | It's a small, very nice restaurant. |
| Paris est une grande ville. | Paris is a big city. |
| Ce livre est intéressant, mais difficile. | This book is interesting but difficult. |
| Marie est jeune et très intelligente. | Marie is young and very intelligent. |
| C'est un bon exercice. | It's a good exercise. |
From learning to practice
When you learn a new adjective, learn it in a short phrase or sentence such as une petite maison, un livre intéressant, or elle est sympathique. This gives you the meaning of the adjective and a model for using it in a real description.