French Podcast Transcripts

How to use adjectives in French!

How to use adjectives in French! Know your BAGS in French. How to place French adjectives in a French sentence? In other words, find out what are adjectives and where to place them when you speak French since they can be placed before or after a noun in French!


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How to use adjectives in French!

In other words, find out what are adjectives and where to place adjectives when you speak French since they can be placed before or after a noun in French!! And today, you’re going to find out everything about adjectives placement in French, how to never be confused, get it right each time, and never worries about it! You’ll know why French say ‘une jolie maison’ (a pretty house) or ‘une maison bleue (a blue house)…or ‘ Le prochain train’ (the next train) or ‘le mois prochain’ (next month)

What is an adjective?

An adjective brings precision to a noun, such as a pretty house, an old sweater, a good dog, or a huge pile of bills… Pretty, Old, Good, and Huge are adjectives … and you notice they ALWAYS come before the noun in English… In French, they can appear before or after the noun!!

Short and common adjectives, usually expressing Beauty, Age, Goodness, Numbers, and Size (that’s why you have the acronym ‘BAGS’) precede the noun. Colors, long, and uncommon adjectives come after the noun.

#1 B is for beauty

Adjectives about beauty comes before the noun. A few adjectives for beauty could be beau (for masculine noun), belle (for feminine noun), joli (pretty)…

A pretty house = une jolie maison

Except for CUTE

A cute kitten = un chaton mignon

A pretty kitten = un joli chaton

#2 A is for age

Adjectives describing someone or something’s age come before the noun. A few adjectives for age could be nouveau (new for masculine noun), vieille (old for feminine noun), vieux (old for masculine noun), jeune (young)…

An old sweater = un vieux pull

#3 G is for goodness

Adjectives qualifying someone’s or something goodness always come before the noun.

A good dog = un bon chien

Prefer using sympa when talking about people.

Une fille sympa = a nice girl

#4 S is for Size

Adjectives qualifying someone’s or something size always come before the noun. A few adjectives for size could be gros (large/big/thick for masculine noun), grande (tall/high for feminine noun), énorme (huge)…

A huge pile of bills = Une énorme pile de factures…

Know your BAGS: Conclusion

How to use adjectives in French! As a rule of thumb, you can also remember that most short and common adjectives come before the noun and colors come after in French!

Let’s practice together!

A thick book = un gros livre

A cute sweater = un pull mignon

A pretty bag = un joli sac

An old dog = un vieux chien

A blue sweater = un pull bleu

A young plant = une jeune plante

An old coat = Un vieux manteau

A white house = une maison blanche



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Merci et à bientôt, Séverine

P.S: Une maison bleue is a reference to a famous French song 🙂