French Adjectives: The 100 Most Useful (A1)
🇫🇷 French · 100 cards · A1 · by Théo Marchand
This is the list I'd hand a friend landing in Lyon or Montréal next week: sizes, colours, feelings, food, opinions, plus the small words — même, autre, prochain — that carry half of everyday speech.
Two things trip learners up. Agreement: most adjectives simply add -e, but some double a consonant (bon → bonne, gentil → gentille) or change shape completely (vieux → vieille, faux → fausse). Every card gives you the feminine. Placement: French adjectives usually follow the noun, a short group goes in front, and four of them (ancien, propre, seul, cher) change meaning depending on which side they sit on.
Learn the example sentence, not just the word — that's where the agreement sticks.
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How to use this deck
Flip through the cards, then switch to Quiz. Tap the play button on any row to hear it. The full table below is there to read, print or copy into your own flashcard app.
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All 100 cards
| # | French | English | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | grand Feminine: grande. Goes before the noun. About a person it means tall, not fat. | big, tall | Il habite dans un grand appartement. He lives in a big apartment. | |
| 2 | petit Feminine: petite. Goes before the noun. | small, little | Mon petit frère a six ans. My little brother is six. | |
| 3 | bon Feminine: bonne. Before the noun. The adverb is bien, not bon. | good, tasty | C'est un bon restaurant, tu vas aimer. It's a good restaurant, you'll like it. | |
| 4 | mauvais Feminine: mauvaise. Before the noun. Il fait mauvais = the weather is bad. | bad | Le film était mauvais, on est partis. The film was bad, we left. | |
| 5 | beau Feminine: belle. Becomes bel before a vowel: un bel homme. Before the noun. | beautiful, handsome | Quel beau jardin vous avez ! What a beautiful garden you have! | |
| 6 | joli Feminine: jolie. Before the noun. Weaker than beau. | pretty, nice-looking | C'est un joli petit village. It's a pretty little village. | |
| 7 | jeune Same form for masculine and feminine. Goes before the noun: un jeune homme. | young | Il est encore jeune, il a vingt ans. He's still young, he's twenty. | |
| 8 | vieux Feminine: vieille. Becomes vieil before a vowel: un vieil ami. Before the noun. | old | Mon vieux vélo marche encore très bien. My old bike still works really well. | |
| 9 | nouveau Feminine: nouvelle. Becomes nouvel before a vowel: un nouvel élève. Before the noun. | new | J'ai un nouveau téléphone depuis lundi. I've had a new phone since Monday. | |
| 10 | gentil Feminine: gentille. Mostly about people; c'est gentil = that's kind (of you). | kind, nice | Ton voisin est vraiment gentil avec nous. Your neighbour is really kind to us. | |
| 11 | sympa Informal, short for sympathique. No feminine change; plural sympas. | nice, friendly | Ses collègues ont l'air super sympa. Her colleagues seem really nice. | |
| 12 | méchant Feminine: méchante. Used for people and animals. | mean, nasty; vicious | Attention, le chien est méchant. Careful, the dog is vicious. | |
| 13 | content Feminine: contente. Everyday word for happy about something: content de + noun or infinitive. | glad, pleased | Je suis content de te voir. I'm glad to see you. | |
| 14 | heureux Feminine: heureuse. Deeper and more lasting than content. | happy | Il a l'air heureux depuis son déménagement. He seems happy since he moved. | |
| 15 | triste Same form for masculine and feminine. | sad | Pourquoi tu as l'air triste ? Why do you look sad? | |
| 16 | fatigué Feminine: fatiguée. | tired | Je suis trop fatigué pour sortir ce soir. I'm too tired to go out tonight. | |
| 17 | malade Same form for masculine and feminine. Un malade also means a patient. | sick, ill | Ma fille est malade, elle reste à la maison. My daughter is sick, she's staying home. | |
| 18 | énervé Feminine: énervée. False friend: it does not mean energetic. | annoyed, irritated | Il est énervé à cause du bruit. He's annoyed because of the noise. | |
| 19 | désolé Feminine: désolée. Used alone as an apology. | sorry | Désolé, je suis en retard. Sorry, I'm late. | |
| 20 | chaud Feminine: chaude. Of a person say j'ai chaud (I feel hot); je suis chaud is slang for 'I'm up for it'. | hot, warm | Attention, le café est très chaud. Careful, the coffee is very hot. | |
| 21 | froid Feminine: froide. For a person: j'ai froid, not je suis froid (that means cold-hearted). | cold | J'ai froid, tu peux fermer la fenêtre ? I'm cold, can you close the window? | |
| 22 | frais Feminine: fraîche. Also used for cool weather or a chilled drink. | fresh, cool | Le pain est encore frais. The bread is still fresh. | |
| 23 | sec Feminine: sèche. | dry | Le linge n'est pas encore sec. The laundry isn't dry yet. | |
| 24 | mouillé Feminine: mouillée. | wet | Ne t'assieds pas là, le banc est mouillé. Don't sit there, the bench is wet. | |
| 25 | long Feminine: longue. Usually before the noun: un long week-end. | long | On a fait un long voyage en train. We took a long train journey. | |
| 26 | court Feminine: courte. For a short person use petit. | short | Ce film est court, à peine une heure. This film is short, barely an hour. | |
| 27 | haut Feminine: haute. The h is aspirated: le haut mur, never l'haut. | high, tall (object) | Cette étagère est trop haute pour moi. This shelf is too high for me. | |
| 28 | bas Feminine: basse. | low | Fais attention, le plafond est bas. Watch out, the ceiling is low. | |
| 29 | gros Feminine: grosse. Before the noun. About a person it means fat and can be rude. | big, fat, thick | Il y a un gros chien dans le jardin. There's a big dog in the garden. | |
| 30 | mince Same form for masculine and feminine. Mince ! on its own is a mild 'damn!'. | slim, thin | Elle est mince et assez grande. She's slim and fairly tall. | |
| 31 | large Same form for masculine and feminine. Un pantalon large = loose-fitting trousers, not size L (taille L). | wide, broad | Cette rue est assez large. This street is fairly wide. | |
| 32 | étroit Feminine: étroite. | narrow | Le couloir est étroit, passe devant. The corridor is narrow, you go first. | |
| 33 | lourd Feminine: lourde. Also said of a heavy meal or muggy weather. | heavy | Mon sac est vraiment trop lourd. My bag is really too heavy. | |
| 34 | léger Feminine: légère. For light in colour or brightness use clair. | light (in weight) | Prends un manteau léger, il fait doux. Take a light coat, it's mild out. | |
| 35 | fort Feminine: forte. La musique est trop forte = too loud. Être fort en = to be good at a subject. | strong; loud | Il est très fort, il porte le canapé tout seul. He's very strong, he's carrying the sofa on his own. | |
| 36 | faible Same form for masculine and feminine. | weak | Le signal wifi est faible ici. The wifi signal is weak here. | |
| 37 | rapide Same form for masculine and feminine. The adverb is vite. | fast, quick | Prends le métro, c'est plus rapide. Take the metro, it's faster. | |
| 38 | lent Feminine: lente. The final t is silent in the masculine, pronounced in the feminine. | slow | Mon ordinateur devient lent le matin. My computer gets slow in the morning. | |
| 39 | facile Same form for masculine and feminine. | easy | L'exercice était facile pour tout le monde. The exercise was easy for everyone. | |
| 40 | difficile Same form for masculine and feminine. About a person: fussy, hard to please. | difficult, hard | C'est difficile à expliquer. It's hard to explain. | |
| 41 | simple Same form for masculine and feminine. Before the noun it means mere: un simple appel. | simple | La recette est simple : trois ingrédients. The recipe is simple: three ingredients. | |
| 42 | compliqué Feminine: compliquée. | complicated | Ne rends pas ça plus compliqué. Don't make this more complicated. | |
| 43 | important Feminine: importante. Also means sizeable: une somme importante. | important | J'ai un rendez-vous important demain matin. I have an important appointment tomorrow morning. | |
| 44 | intéressant Feminine: intéressante. Un prix intéressant = a good price. | interesting | Ton projet a l'air intéressant. Your project sounds interesting. | |
| 45 | ennuyeux Feminine: ennuyeuse. Informal in France: chiant (vulgar); in Quebec: c'est plate. | boring | Le cours était vraiment ennuyeux. The class was really boring. | |
| 46 | drôle Same form for masculine and feminine. Un drôle de type = a strange guy. | funny | Ton frère est très drôle. Your brother is very funny. | |
| 47 | sérieux Feminine: sérieuse. Also means reliable, hard-working. | serious | Tu es sérieux, là ? Are you serious right now? | |
| 48 | intelligent Feminine: intelligente. | intelligent, smart | C'est un garçon intelligent et curieux. He's a smart, curious boy. | |
| 49 | bête Same form for masculine and feminine. Mild, often self-mocking. | silly, stupid | C'est bête, j'ai oublié mes clés. How silly, I forgot my keys. | |
| 50 | fou Feminine: folle. Masculine plural: fous. Before a vowel: un fol espoir (rare, literary). | crazy, mad | Ce prix est complètement fou ! That price is absolutely crazy! | |
| 51 | timide Same form for masculine and feminine. | shy | Il est timide avec les inconnus. He's shy around strangers. | |
| 52 | poli Feminine: polie. Opposite: impoli, or mal élevé. | polite | Sois poli avec la serveuse. Be polite to the waitress. | |
| 53 | calme Same form for masculine and feminine. | calm, quiet | Le quartier reste calme la nuit. The neighbourhood stays quiet at night. | |
| 54 | bruyant Feminine: bruyante. | noisy, loud | L'hôtel était bruyant toute la nuit. The hotel was noisy all night. | |
| 55 | occupé Feminine: occupée. Also for a taken seat or an engaged phone line. | busy; taken | Je suis occupé jusqu'à cinq heures. I'm busy until five. | |
| 56 | libre Same form for masculine and feminine. Free of charge is gratuit. | free (available), vacant | Est-ce que ce siège est libre ? Is this seat free? | |
| 57 | prêt Feminine: prête. Followed by à: prêt à partir. | ready | Le dîner est prêt, à table ! Dinner is ready, come and eat! | |
| 58 | sûr Feminine: sûre. Keep the accent: sur without it means 'on'. Bien sûr = of course. | sure, certain; safe | Tu es sûr de l'adresse ? Are you sure about the address? | |
| 59 | vrai Feminine: vraie. Before the noun it means real, genuine: un vrai problème. | true, real | Ce qu'il raconte est vrai. What he's saying is true. | |
| 60 | faux Feminine: fausse. Masculine plural: faux. | false, wrong, fake | Sa réponse est fausse. His answer is wrong. | |
| 61 | cher Feminine: chère. Before the noun it means dear: cher ami. | expensive; dear | Ce manteau est trop cher pour moi. This coat is too expensive for me. | |
| 62 | gratuit Feminine: gratuite. The final t is silent in the masculine. | free (no charge) | Le wifi est gratuit dans ce café. The wifi is free in this café. | |
| 63 | riche Same form for masculine and feminine. | rich, wealthy | Il rêve de devenir riche. He dreams of getting rich. | |
| 64 | pauvre Same form for masculine and feminine. Before the noun it means pitiable: le pauvre homme. | poor | Quand j'étais étudiant, j'étais pauvre. When I was a student I was poor. | |
| 65 | propre Same form for masculine and feminine. Before the noun it means own: ma propre voiture. | clean | Mets une chemise propre. Put on a clean shirt. | |
| 66 | sale Same form for masculine and feminine. Before the noun it is an insult: un sale type. | dirty | Enlève tes chaussures, le sol est sale. Take off your shoes, the floor is dirty. | |
| 67 | plein Feminine: pleine. Plein de + noun = lots of (informal). | full | Le bus est plein, on attend le suivant. The bus is full, we'll wait for the next one. | |
| 68 | vide Same form for masculine and feminine. | empty | Le frigo est presque vide. The fridge is almost empty. | |
| 69 | ouvert Feminine: ouverte. Also open-minded about a person. | open | Le magasin est ouvert jusqu'à vingt heures. The shop is open until eight p.m. | |
| 70 | fermé Feminine: fermée. | closed, shut | C'est fermé le lundi. It's closed on Mondays. | |
| 71 | ancien Feminine: ancienne. Before the noun = former; after the noun = old, antique (un meuble ancien). | former; old, antique | C'est mon ancien voisin. That's my former neighbour. | |
| 72 | dernier Feminine: dernière. Before the noun = last in a series; after a time word = previous: la semaine dernière. | last, latest | C'est le dernier train pour Lyon. That's the last train to Lyon. | |
| 73 | prochain Feminine: prochaine. Before the noun normally, but after time words: l'année prochaine. | next | Je descends au prochain arrêt. I'm getting off at the next stop. | |
| 74 | premier Feminine: première. Before the noun. | first | C'est mon premier jour ici. It's my first day here. | |
| 75 | seul Feminine: seule. Before the noun it means only: le seul problème. | alone; only | Il vit seul depuis deux ans. He's been living alone for two years. | |
| 76 | même Same form for masculine and feminine, always before the noun. After a pronoun it means -self: moi-même. | same | On a le même sac, c'est drôle. We have the same bag, that's funny. | |
| 77 | autre Same form for masculine and feminine. Always before the noun. | other, another | Tu veux un autre café ? Do you want another coffee? | |
| 78 | différent Feminine: différente. Followed by de, not que. | different | C'est différent de ce que j'imaginais. It's different from what I imagined. | |
| 79 | meilleur Feminine: meilleure. Comparative of bon; never say plus bon. | better, best | C'est le meilleur café du quartier. It's the best coffee in the neighbourhood. | |
| 80 | délicieux Feminine: délicieuse. | delicious | Ton gâteau était délicieux, merci. Your cake was delicious, thank you. | |
| 81 | sucré Feminine: sucrée. For a sweet person use gentil or doux. | sweet, sugary | Ce jus est trop sucré pour moi. This juice is too sweet for me. | |
| 82 | salé Feminine: salée. Sucré ou salé ? = sweet or savoury? | salty, savoury | Le plat est un peu trop salé. The dish is a bit too salty. | |
| 83 | dur Feminine: dure. C'est dur = it's tough (a situation). | hard, tough | Le pain d'hier est trop dur. Yesterday's bread is too hard. | |
| 84 | doux Feminine: douce. Also used for mild weather and a gentle person. | soft, gentle, mild | Ce pull est très doux. This jumper is very soft. | |
| 85 | agréable Same form for masculine and feminine. | pleasant, nice | La soirée était vraiment agréable. The evening was really pleasant. | |
| 86 | confortable Same form for masculine and feminine. Use it for things; a person is à l'aise (in Quebec you will hear je suis confortable, but it's an anglicism). | comfortable | Ce fauteuil est super confortable. This armchair is really comfortable. | |
| 87 | dangereux Feminine: dangereuse. | dangerous | Ce virage est dangereux la nuit. This bend is dangerous at night. | |
| 88 | utile Same form for masculine and feminine. | useful | Ce site est très utile pour réviser. This website is very useful for revising. | |
| 89 | inutile Same form for masculine and feminine. | useless, pointless | Inutile d'insister, il ne viendra pas. No point insisting, he won't come. | |
| 90 | génial Feminine: géniale; masculine plural géniaux. Informal and very common. | great, awesome | Le concert était génial ! The concert was awesome! | |
| 91 | nul Feminine: nulle. Informal. Être nul en maths = to be bad at maths. | rubbish, terrible | Le film était nul, on s'est ennuyés. The film was rubbish, we were bored. | |
| 92 | magnifique Same form for masculine and feminine. Stronger than beau. | gorgeous, magnificent | La vue est magnifique d'ici. The view is gorgeous from here. | |
| 93 | célèbre Same form for masculine and feminine. | famous | Cette chanson est célèbre au Québec. This song is famous in Quebec. | |
| 94 | français Feminine: française. Lowercase as an adjective; capital for the person: un Français. | French | J'écoute un podcast français le matin. I listen to a French podcast in the morning. | |
| 95 | rouge Same form for masculine and feminine. Colours go after the noun. | red | Elle a une voiture rouge. She has a red car. | |
| 96 | bleu Feminine: bleue. Un steak bleu = a very rare steak. | blue | Le ciel est tout bleu ce matin. The sky is completely blue this morning. | |
| 97 | vert Feminine: verte. | green | Le feu est vert, on y va. The light is green, let's go. | |
| 98 | jaune Same form for masculine and feminine. | yellow | Le mur de la cuisine est jaune. The kitchen wall is yellow. | |
| 99 | noir Feminine: noire. Un café noir = a black coffee. | black | Il porte un manteau noir. He's wearing a black coat. | |
| 100 | blanc Feminine: blanche. | white | Le chat blanc dort sur le canapé. The white cat is sleeping on the sofa. |
Théo Marchand
Native French · Speaks English, Spanish
Born in Lyon, living in Montréal. I write the phrases the way people actually say them on both sides of the Atlantic and mark the difference when it matters.
Published
Questions about this deck
- Do French adjectives go before or after the noun?
- Most go after the noun: une voiture rouge, un film intéressant. A small group goes before, and nearly all of them are in this deck: grand, petit, bon, mauvais, beau, joli, jeune, vieux, nouveau, gros, long, premier, dernier, autre, même, seul. The usual memory aid is BAGS — beauty, age, goodness, size.
- How do I make a French adjective feminine?
- The default is to add -e: grand → grande, vert → verte. Adjectives already ending in -e don't change: rouge, calme, facile, timide. Then the patterns: the consonant doubles (bon → bonne, gentil → gentille, gros → grosse), -eux becomes -euse (heureux → heureuse), -er becomes -ère (cher → chère, léger → légère), and a handful are irregular: beau → belle, vieux → vieille, nouveau → nouvelle, blanc → blanche, doux → douce, faux → fausse, sec → sèche.
- Which adjectives change meaning depending on their position?
- Four common ones. Ancien: mon ancien travail = my former job, un meuble ancien = an antique piece of furniture. Propre: ma propre chambre = my own room, une chambre propre = a clean room. Cher: cher ami = dear friend, un manteau cher = an expensive coat. Seul: le seul problème = the only problem, il vit seul = he lives alone. And with grand: un homme grand is a tall man, un grand homme is a great man.
- Are these adjectives the same in France and in Quebec?
- Yes, all 100 are standard on both sides of the Atlantic; nothing here will sound foreign in Lyon or in Montréal. What changes is frequency and tone: in Quebec you'll hear c'est le fun and c'est correct (meaning fine, OK) next to génial and sympa, and c'est plate where France says c'est ennuyeux or c'est chiant. Also, je suis confortable is common in Quebec but an anglicism elsewhere — say je suis à l'aise.
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