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Getting the structure right
11 Adjectives â you donât have carte blanche!
WHERE TO PUT ADJECTIVES
The usual position for an adjective is after the item it describes.
| un livre intéressant | an interesting book |
| un film ennuyeux | a boring film |
This is not always the case, however, and the exceptions include some of the most common adjectives in use.
| Tu as vu ce melon gros ? Ă | |
| Tu as vu ce gros melon ? | Have you seen this big melon? |
| Quelles tomates belles ! Ă | |
| Quelles belles tomates ! | What beautiful tomatoes! |
Watch out for the following common adjectives which are usually placed before the noun. This is then what they mean when you do:
SOME ADJECTIVES CAN CHANGE THEIR MEANING: âGRANDâ, âSALEâ, âPROPREâ AND âNOUVEAUâ
As you know, French nouns and adjectives have to know their place and agree with each other in order to be in harmony (see Chapter 20). Some adjectives, however, are fickle and can be used before or after a noun; the meaning of the adjective may change, depending upon its position in the sentence. (Be especially careful when you use the word sale (dirty) â there is nothing wrong with some good honest dirt, but if you put its French equivalent in the wrong place in the sentence it could be very insulting to the person concerned!)
Here are some examples:
| Le marchand de fleurs est un homme grand. | The flower seller is a tall man. |
| Son pĂšre Ă©tait maire de la ville; câĂ©tait un grand homme. | His father was mayor of the town; he was a great man. |
| La nouvelle vendeuse est trĂšs amusante. | The new (succeeding) stallholder is very funny. |
| Regarde ! Il y a des pommes de terre nouvelles chez le marchand de fruits et légumes. | There are new (appearing for the first time) potatoes on the fruit and vegetable stall. |
| Ses légumes viennent de son propre jardin potager. | His vegetables come from his own vegetable garden. |
| Il vend des salades propres. | He sells clean lettuces. |
| Tu as vu les mains sales quâil a ? | Have you seen what dirty hands heâs got? |
| On dit que, malgrĂ© ses bons lĂ©gumes, câest un sale type. | People say heâs an unpleasant character. |
Insight
There is a certain logic to the normal placing of an adjective after the noun it describes since adjectives are, after all, in most cases additional extras. If the adjective is omitted, the sentence will usually still make sense, even though it may lack interesting detail; e.g. jâai vu un chien (blanc) (I saw a (white) dog).
USING TWO ADJECTIVES
If you want to use two adjectives, both of which belong in front of the noun, you put them side by side where they belong. When you use two adjectives after a noun, as is more usual, you link them with et (and), and when using two adjectives, one of which belongs before and one after the noun, you leave them in their rightful place:
| Je vais acheter ces jolies petites fleurs. | I am going to buy these pretty little flowers. |
| Je vais prendre aussi des pĂȘches blanches et jaunes. | Iâm also going to have some white and yellow peaches. |
| Ces petites fraises mĂ»res ont lâair dĂ©l... |
