Plural of French Adjectives

Plural of Adjectives

Le pluriel des adjectifs

How do French adjectives get their plural form?

Rule of Thumb - Règle générale

The plural of most adjectives is formed by adding an –s to the singular adjective.

grand -> grands

grande -> grandes

petit -> petits

petite -> petites

bon -> bons

bonne -> bonnes

bleu -> bleus

bleue -> bleues

Other Rules - Autres règles

However, there are other rules.

Adjectives ending in –s in the singular form stay the same in the plural form.

français -> français (French)

gras -> gras (fat)

Adjectives ending in –x in the singular form stay the same in the plural form.

heureux -> heureux (happy)

peureux -> peureux (fearful)

merveilleux -> merveilleux (marvelous)

Some adjectives ending in –eu in the singular form take an –x in the plural form. Bleu is an exception.

hébreu -> hébreux (Hebrew)

Adjectives ending in –eau in the singular form take an –x in the plural form.

beau -> beaux (beautiful)

Some adjectives ending in –al in the singular form become –aux in the plural form.

royal -> royaux (royal)

légal -> légaux (legal)

About Colors - À propos des couleurs

And last, but not least, there are the colors. They take an –s most of the time, except in 2 instances:

when the noun-color is also a fruit or a vegetable, the adjective form remains masculine and singular, except for rose and violet which take the gender and the number.

une jupe orange -> deux jupes orange (two orange skirts)

une jupe rose -> deux jupes roses (two pink skirts)

when there are 2 compound colors, the adjectives remain masculine and singular

une jupe bleu clair -> deux jupes bleu clair (two light blue skirts)

Quiz - Plural of adjectives

Choisissez la bonne réponse. Pick the right answer.

Les maisons foncées sont plus _____.
- feminine and singular (JOLIE)
- with an X (JOLIEX)
- feminine and plural (JOLIES)
Dark houses are PRETTIER.
La grande fac aura des _____ bâtiments scientifiques.
- with an X (NOUVEAUX)
- with an S (NOUVEAUS)
- masculine (NOUVEAU)
The big university will have a NEW science building.
Les équipes de foot _____ ont de bons joueurs.
- without an S (FRANÇAI)
- with an X (FRANÇAIX)
- feminine and plural (FRANÇAISES)
The FRENCH soccer teams have a good player.
Elle avait de grands ciseaux _____ dans les mains.
- with an X (ROUGEX)
- with an S (ROUGES)
- singular (ROUGE)
She had two big RED pair of scissors in her hands.
Les viandes sont _____.
- with an X (GRASSEX)
- feminine and singular (GRASSE)
- feminine and plural (GRASSES)
The meats are FAT.
Les chaises sont _____.
- invariable (MARRON)
- with an X (MARRONX)
- with an S (MARRONS)
The chairs are BROWN.
Les bateaux sont _____.
- with an S or and X (VIEU)
- invariable (VIEUX)
- with an S (VIEUS)
The boats are OLD.
Les sculptures monumentales de Venet n’étaient pas _____, elles étaient rouges.
- with an S (ROUILLES)
- invariable (ROUILLE)
- with an X (ROUILLEX)
The monumental sculptures of Venet were not RUST-COLORED, they were red.
Les propriétaires du gîte sont _____.
- with an X (FRANÇAIX)
- without an S (FRANÇAI)
- masculine and plural (FRANÇAIS)
The owner of the rental is FRENCH.
Les maisons _____ foncé sont plus jolies.
- invariable (BLEU)
- with an X (BLEUX)
- feminine and plural (BLEUES)
Dark BLUE houses are prettier.

Encore !

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. Accroche-minute . Cours avec Anne . Posez votre question . Vous aimez ? Commentez .

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