1. Adjectives that come before the noun:
Beauty, Age, Numbering, Greatness, Size
BEAUTY
– beau/belle/beaux/belles
– joli(e)
AGE
– vieux/vieille/vieux/vieilles
– jeune
NUMBERING
– premier(ère), dernier(ère)
– deuxième, troisième
– autre
GREATNESS
– bon (bonne), meilleur(e)
– mauvais(e), pire
– gentil/gentille
– méchant(e)
– vilain(e)
SIZE
– grand(e)
– gros (grosse)
– petit(e)
– haut(e)
2 Adjectives that sometimes come before the noun
depending on context
long, court, double
long, court, double
3. A few adjectives vary their position according to different meanings
- The adjective “ancien” normally comes before the noun when it means “former”, and after it when it means “ancient”.
- The adjective “certain” normally comes before the noun when it means “particular”, and after it when it means “sure”.
- The adjective “même” normally comes before the noun when it means “same”, and after it when it means “very same”.
- The adjective “pauvre” normally comes before the noun when it means “unfortunate”, and after it when it means “not rich”.
- The adjective “propre” comes before the noun when it means “own”, and after it when it means “clean”.
- The adjective “seul” comes before the noun when it means “single, or just one”, and after it when it means “lonely”.