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What is an adjective?
To recap, an adjective is a word that accompanies a noun (a name) to give it precision and with which it agrees in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural). A noun can be accompanied by several adjectives.
Examples: un grand chapeau ("grand" is an adjective, "un chapeau" is a noun): a big hat
Une petite maison blanche ("petite" is an adjective, "une maison" is a noun, "blanche" is an adjective).
The agreement of adjectives
If you want to speak French correctly, it is therefore essential to know whether the nouns you use are masculine or feminine, but also to know the feminine of adjectives!
1. General rule
In general, forming the feminine form of adjectives is quite easy: simply add an "e"!
Masculine | Feminine |
Petit | Petite |
Grand | Grande |
Intelligent | Intelligente |
Mauvais | Mauvaise |
Poli | Polie |
Compliqué | Compliquée |
National | Nationale |
Pronunciation 🗣: The final consonants "-d" and "-t" are not pronounced in the masculine form, but they are pronounced in the feminine form due to the “e”.
2. Special cases
Obviously, the rule cannot be so easy, of course there are some exceptions! You must pay attention to the ending of the adjective in the masculine form as it defines its ending in the feminine form.
Case of adjectives ending with "e" in the masculine
If the adjective already ends with the letter "e" in the masculine, the feminine is the same. (We do not add a second "e" to form the feminine).
Examples: facile (easy), difficile (difficult), simple, habile (skillful), égoïste (selfish), propre (clean), sale (dirty), riche (rich), pauvre (poor)...
Un exercice facile (an easy exercise): masculine / Une dictée facile (an easy dictation): feminine
Irregular adjectives in the feminine
The ending of the adjective in the masculine indicates its ending in the feminine. But some adjectives are also very irregular and completely different in the feminine. It's up to you to memorize them.
Masculine | Feminine |
Réel, naturel, essentiel, traditionnel… | Réelle, naturelle, essentielle, traditionnelle… |
Naïf, définitif, agressif… | Naïve, définitive, agressive… |
Premier, dernier, léger… | Première, dernière, légère… |
Heureux, joyeux, peureux… | Heureuse, joyeuse, peureuse… |
Bon, mignon | Bonne, mignonne |
Ancien, aérien… | Ancienne, aérienne… |
Public | Publique |
Faux | Fausse |
Doux | Douce |
Beau | Belle |
Fou, mou | Folle, molle |
Franc | Franche |
Sec | Sèche |
Long | Longue |
Frais | Fraîche |
Vieux | Vieille |
What about nationalities?
Nationalities are adjectives and follow the same rules.
Examples: II est français./Elle est française.
Il est belge./Elle est belge. (same for masculine and feminine)
Il est marocain./Elle est marocaine.
Il est brésilien. / Elle est brésilienne.
There are 2 exceptions:
Masculine | Feminine |
Grec Ex : Un monument grec | Grecque Ex : la mythologie grecque |
Turc Ex : Un plat turc | Turque Ex : l'histoire turque |
Exercise
Transform the following adjectives to the feminine. The answers are below the image.
Answers: 1-petite, 2-sympathique, 3-lourde, 4-cruelle, 5-vive, 6-grecque, 7-publique, 8-natale, 9-étroite, 10-nerveuse, 11-turque, 12-officielle, 13-belle, 14-fraîche, 15-aérienne, 16-première
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