List of Adjectives for French Learners

Adjectives play a big part in making our chats more colorful and clear. They help us describe things with more detail, adding depth to our words. If you’re looking for a list of adjectives necessary for basic French talks, you’re in the right place. This guide will give you the key descriptive words to speak better. Keep reading and find basic adjectives for daily conversations, words to describe a person, and so on.

General French Adjectives for Everyday Use

Simple adjectives are as vital as basic verbs or nouns in daily chats. They help you talk about common things around you more precisely and colorfully. These words come in handy when describing a friend’s mood or talking about your favorite meal. Check the following adjective words list:

• Grand [ɡʁɑ̃] – big/large.

Le chien est très grand. [lə ʃjɛ̃ ɛ tʁɛ ɡʁɑ̃] – The dog is very big.

• Petit [pə.ti] – small.

J’ai un petit problème. [ʒe œ̃ pə.ti pʁɔ.blɛm] – I have a small problem.

• Bon [bɔ̃] – good.

Ce restaurant est vraiment bon. [sə ʁɛs.to.ʁɑ̃ ɛ vʁɛ.mɑ̃ bɔ̃] – This restaurant is really good.

• Mauvais [mo.vɛ] – bad.

Ce film est mauvais. [sə film ɛ mo.vɛ] – This movie is bad.

• Beau [bo] – beautiful.

Paris est une belle ville. [pa.ʁi ɛ yn bɛl vil] – Paris is a beautiful city.

• Jeune [ʒœn] – young.

Ils sont jeunes et dynamiques. [il sɔ̃ ʒœn e di.na.mik] – They are young and dynamic.

• Vieux [vjø] – old.

Ce livre est très vieux. [sə li.vʁə ɛ tʁɛ vjø] – This book is very old.

• Riche [ʁiʃ] – rich.

Il est riche. [il ɛ ʁiʃ] – He is rich.

• Pauvre [povʁ] – poor.

Ils sont pauvres mais heureux. [il sɔ̃ povʁ mɛ œ.ʁø] – They are poor but happy.

Common French Adjectives to Describe a Person

The right word will help you paint a clear picture of people in your conversations. You may need to describe how someone looks, their mood, or personality traits. It also aids in making your stories more vivid and relatable. Here are some useful adjectives in French:

• Intelligent [ɛ̃.tɛ.li.ʒɑ̃] – intelligent.

Mon frère est très intelligent. [mɔ̃ fʁɛʁ ɛ tʁɛ ɛ̃.tɛ.li.ʒɑ̃] – My brother is very intelligent.

• Amusant [a.my.zɑ̃] – funny.

Elle est toujours amusante. [ɛl ɛ tu.ʒuʁ a.my.zɑ̃t] – She is always funny.

• Gentil [ʒɑ̃.til] – kind.

Il est gentil avec tout le monde. [il ɛ ʒɑ̃.til a.vɛk tu lə mɔ̃d] – He is kind to everyone.

• Sérieux [se.ʁjø] – serious.

Elle est très sérieuse au travail. [ɛl ɛ tʁɛ se.ʁjøz o tʁa.vaj] – She is very serious at work.

• Curieux [ky.ʁjø] – curious.

Les enfants sont très curieux. [le.z‿ɑ̃.fɑ̃ sɔ̃ tʁɛ ky.ʁjø] – Children are very curious.

• Agréable [a.gʁe.abl] – pleasant.

Sa présence est toujours agréable. [sa pʁe.zɑ̃s ɛ tu.ʒuʁ a.gʁe.abl] – His presence is always pleasant.

• Honnête [ɔ.nɛt] – honest.

Vous êtes vraiment honnête. [vu.z‿ɛt vʁɛ.mɑ̃ ɔ.nɛt] – You are really honest.

• Poli [pɔ.li] – polite.

Elle est très polie avec ses professeurs. [ɛl ɛ tʁɛ pɔ.li a.vɛk se pʁɔ.fe.sœʁ] – She is very polite with her teachers.

• Créatif [kʁe.a.tif] – creative.

Elle est très créative dans son travail. [ɛl ɛ tʁɛ kʁe.a.tiv dɑ̃ sɔ̃ tʁa.vaj] – She is very creative in her work.

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French Adjective List for Objects and Places

Adjectives help you describe the world around you in more detail. They are necessary when you want to describe your favorite spot, an object in your home, or a country or a city you have visited. Below are some unique adjectives you should know:

• Ancien [ɑ̃.sjɛ̃] – ancient.

Ce château est très ancien. [sə ʃɑ.to ɛ tʁɛ ɑ̃.sjɛ̃] – This castle is very ancient.

• Moderne [mɔ.dɛʁn] – modern.

Ils habitent dans un appartement moderne. [il a.bi.tɑ̃ dɑ̃z‿ œ̃n‿ a.paʁ.tə.mɑ̃ mɔ.dɛʁn] – They live in a modern apartment.

• Propre [pʁɔpʁ] – clean.

La cuisine est toujours propre. [la küi.zin ɛ tu.ʒuʁ pʁɔpʁ] – The kitchen is always clean.

• Sale [sal] – dirty.

Les rues sont très sales après la pluie. [le ʁy sɔ̃ tʁɛ sal‿ a.pʁɛ la plɥi] – The streets are very dirty after the rain.

• Spacieux [spa.sjø] – spacious.

Leur nouvelle maison est spacieuse. [lœʁ nu.vɛl mɛ.zɔ̃ ɛ spa.sjøz] – Their new house is spacious.

• Étroit [e.tʁwa] – narrow.

Cette rue est trop étroite pour deux voitures. [sɛt ʁy ɛ tʁo e.tʁwat puʁ dø vwa.tyʁ] – This street is too narrow for two cars.

• Lumineux [ly.mi.nø] – bright.

L’appartement est lumineux et aéré. [la.paʁ.tə.mɑ̃ ɛ ly.mi.nø e a.e.ʁe] – The apartment is bright and airy.

• Sombre [sɔ̃bʁ] – dark.

La forêt est sombre et mystérieuse. [la fɔ.ʁɛ ɛ sɔ̃bʁ e mis.te.ʁjøz] – The forest is dark and mysterious.

• Désordonné [de.zɔʁ.dɔ.ne] – messy.

Sa chambre est toujours désordonnée. [sa ʃɑ̃bʁ ɛ tu.ʒuʁ de.zɔʁ.dɔ.ne] – His room is always messy.

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Conclusion

Learning French adjectives helps your language skills grow and makes you a better speaker. These words let you share more about what you think and feel. They allow you to describe people and things clearly. When you add these adjectives to talks, you’ll see how much more expressive you can be in French.