Adjective Placement
In English, adjectives go before the noun: “a red car”. In French, most go after: une voiture rouge. But a small group of very common adjectives goes before, and a few change meaning depending on their position.
In this guide
The general rule: after the noun
Most French adjectives go after the noun:
| Type | Example |
|---|---|
| Colour | une voiture rouge |
| Nationality | un restaurant italien |
| Shape | une table ronde |
| Religion | une fête religieuse |
| Many longer descriptive adjectives | un film intéressant |
| Past participles used as adjectives | une porte fermée |
The exception: BAGS adjectives go before
A small group of short, very common adjectives goes before the noun. The acronym BAGS helps you remember them. It is a memory aid, not a complete rule:
| Letter | Meaning | Adjectives | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | Beauty | beau, joli | une jolie maison |
| A | Age | jeune, vieux, nouveau | un nouveau travail |
| G | Goodness | bon, mauvais | une bonne idée |
| S | Size | grand, petit, gros, long | un petit village |
A few other common adjectives also go before: autre (une autre fois), premier (le premier jour), même (le même problème) and dernier when it means “last in a series” (le dernier train).
Dernier and prochain with time: they go after the noun when they mean “previous” or “next”: la semaine dernière, l’année prochaine.
Beau, nouveau, vieux before a vowel
Before a masculine noun starting with a vowel or a silent h, these three adjectives have a special form:
| Adjective | Before a vowel | Example |
|---|---|---|
| beau | bel | un bel homme |
| nouveau | nouvel | un nouvel appartement |
| vieux | vieil | un vieil ami |
They are pronounced like the feminine forms (belle, nouvelle, vieille), which makes the sounds flow.
Des becomes de
In careful French, when a plural adjective comes before the noun, des becomes de:
- des amis → de bons amis
- des maisons → de belles maisons
In everyday speech, you will hear des bons amis. Use de in writing and in exams.
Adjectives that change meaning
Some adjectives can go before or after the noun, with a different meaning:
| Adjective | Before the noun | After the noun |
|---|---|---|
| ancien | un ancien collègue (a former colleague) | un meuble ancien (an antique piece of furniture) |
| cher | mon cher ami (my dear friend) | un restaurant cher (an expensive restaurant) |
| propre | ma propre voiture (my own car) | une voiture propre (a clean car) |
| grand | un grand homme (a great man) | un homme grand (a tall man) |
| seul | un seul enfant (only one child) | un enfant seul (a child on his own) |
| pauvre | le pauvre homme (the poor man, unfortunate) | un homme pauvre (a poor man, without money) |
| dernier | la dernière semaine (the final week) | la semaine dernière (last week) |
A useful way to remember it: before the noun, the meaning is often more figurative or emotional; after the noun, it is more literal.
Two adjectives together
Each adjective goes in its usual place:
- une jolie petite maison (both before)
- un grand appartement moderne (one before, one after)
- une voiture rouge et rapide (both after, joined by et)
Practice
Put the adjective in the right place and make it agree.
- une maison (blanc)
- un ami (vieux)
- une idée (bon)
- un hôtel (nouveau)
- des livres (intéressant)
- une ville (petit)
- un restaurant (cher) — expensive
- mon collègue (ancien) — former
- la semaine (dernier) — last week
- un homme (beau)
Show the answers
- une maison blanche
- un vieil ami
- une bonne idée
- un nouvel hôtel
- des livres intéressants
- une petite ville
- un restaurant cher
- mon ancien collègue
- la semaine dernière
- un bel homme
Frequently asked questions
Do French adjectives go before or after the noun?
Most go after. Short, common adjectives of beauty, age, goodness and size (BAGS) go before.
Why is it “un vieil ami” and not “un vieux ami”?
Before a masculine noun starting with a vowel, vieux becomes vieil, just as beau becomes bel and nouveau becomes nouvel.
Is it “la dernière semaine” or “la semaine dernière”?
Both exist, with different meanings: la semaine dernière is last week; la dernière semaine is the final week of a period.