Adjectives in the text
1 AGREEMENT OF ADJECTIVES
a Most adjectives have distinctive masculine and feminine forms. All adjectives must agree in
gender (masculine or feminine) and in number (singular or plural) with the noun (or
pronoun) which they qualify.
e.g. ville sainte(fem.sing., line 2); de lourdes charrettes(fem. pl., line 24); chants sourds(masc.
pl., line 30)
These agreements, particularly the plural forms, are not all audible in the spoken language, so
particular care must be taken when writing.
b In most cases, the feminine form of the adjective is produced by adding an –eto the masculine
form.
e.g. sainte(line 2)
This may result in a change in the spoken, as well as in the written, language; the final
consonant in this example is pronounced in the feminine form, when followed by -e, but not
in the masculine form. In most cases, the plural of an adjective is formed by adding an –sto
the singular form.
e.g. premiers(masc. pl., line 1); étroites (fem. pl., line 27).
c In the feminine form of adjectives ending in -el, the final consonant is doubled before the
addition of –e. This change is not audible in the spoken language.
e.g. ablutions rituelles (line 45)
Note that adjectives ending in –al do NOT double the final consonant.
e.g. matinales, banales (lines 44–5)
d With some adjectives, the addition of -ein the feminine form is accompanied by the addition
of a grave accent to the final syllable, or by a change to the final consonant or to the whole of
the final syllable. These changes are all audible in the spoken language. In the text the
following examples occur:
-er/ère, e.g. premier, léger première (line 13); légères(line 35)
-eux/-euse, e.g. boueux, silencieux boueuse (line 36); silencieuse (line 96)
But notevieux vieille (lines 10, 25)
e The adjective vieuxhas a particular masculine form, vieil, which is used when the following
noun begins with a vowel or mute ‘h’.
e.g. un vieil homme(lines 73–4).
Similarly, the adjectives beau, fou, mou, nouveau have the forms bel, fol, mol, nouvel.
f Adjectives whose masculine form ends in –emake no change in the feminine.
e.g. la chaleur ... liquide (lines 8–9); jeune femme(line 73)102 French Grammar in Context