📌 1. What is an adjective (un adjectif)?
An adjective describes or gives more information about a noun or pronoun.
In French, adjectives agree in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) with the noun they describe.
✅ Types of French Adjectives
| Type | Example in French | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Descriptive Adjectives | une robe rouge | a red dress | Colors, shapes, qualities |
| Possessive Adjectives | mon livre | my book | Shows possession: mon, ma, mes |
| Demonstrative Adjectives | ce garçon | this boy | ce, cette, ces, cet |
| Interrogative Adjectives | quel jour ? | which day? | quel, quelle, quels, quelles |
| Indefinite Adjectives | chaque élève | each student | chaque, plusieurs, quelques |
| Numerical Adjectives | trois pommes | three apples | Cardinal/Ordinal numbers |
📏 Degrees of Comparison in French (Les degrés de comparaison)
There are three degrees:
- Positive – normal state
- Comparative – compare two things
- Superlative – express the highest degree
1️⃣ Positive Degree (Degré positif)
Just the basic form of the adjective.
Examples:
- Il est intelligent. → He is intelligent.
- Elle est belle. → She is beautiful.
2️⃣ Comparative Degree (Le comparatif)
Used to compare two nouns.
➕ More … than → plus … que
- Marie est plus grande que Julie.
(Marie is taller than Julie.)
➖ Less … than → moins … que
- Paul est moins rapide que Tom.
(Paul is less fast than Tom.)
➰ As … as → aussi … que
- Il est aussi intelligent que son frère.
(He is as intelligent as his brother.)
🧠 Irregular Forms:
| Adjective | Comparative |
|---|---|
| bon (good) | meilleur (better) |
| mauvais (bad) | pire (worse) |
3️⃣ Superlative Degree (Le superlatif)
Used to show the highest or lowest degree among all.
Structure:
le/la/les plus + adjective = the most
le/la/les moins + adjective = the least
Examples:
- C’est la fille la plus intelligente de la classe.
(She is the most intelligent girl in the class.) - C’est le film le moins intéressant.
(This is the least interesting movie.)
🧠 Irregular Superlatives:
| Adjective | Superlative |
|---|---|
| bon (good) | le meilleur (the best) |
| mauvais (bad) | le pire (the worst) |
🎯 Adjective Agreement Rules
| Gender/Number | Example |
|---|---|
| Masculine Singular | un homme intelligent |
| Feminine Singular | une femme intelligente |
| Masculine Plural | des hommes intelligents |
| Feminine Plural | des femmes intelligentes |
✨Examples Recap
| Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| Paul est gentil. | Paul est plus gentil que Max. | Paul est le plus gentil. |
| Ce film est bon. | Ce film est meilleur que l’autre. | C’est le meilleur film. |
✅ Conclusion:
French adjectives are essential for describing people, places, things, and ideas. They change form to agree with the gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) of the noun they modify. Understanding the types of adjectives (like descriptive, possessive, demonstrative, etc.) helps build strong sentence structures.
The degrees of comparison—positive, comparative, and superlative—allow us to express qualities and differences between people and things. Learning irregular forms like meilleur (better) and le pire (the worst) is especially important for speaking and writing accurately.
📘 Mastering adjectives and their comparisons is a big step toward fluency in French, allowing you to express opinions, make comparisons, and add richness to your language.