Now that you can talk about family and ages, it's time to describe people's appearance. This lesson introduces adjectives for physical description — tall, short, young, old, beautiful, and more. The key grammar point is adjective agreement: in French, adjectives must match the gender (masculine/feminine) of the noun they describe. Lucas spots his family in a park near the Tuileries and Camille helps describe them. Get ready to build vivid descriptions in French!
Learning tips
- Most masculine adjectives form the feminine by adding a silent -e: grand → grande, petit → petite, fort → forte. The pronunciation changes slightly because the final consonant becomes audible in the feminine form.
- Watch out for the irregular pairs: beau (m.) → belle (f.) and vieux (m.) → vieille (f.). These don't follow the standard pattern.
- The adjective jeune (young) is the same for masculine and feminine — no change needed.
- In French, most adjectives come AFTER the noun: une fille jolie, un monsieur grand. However, a small group of common adjectives (including grand, petit, jeune, vieux, beau) typically come BEFORE the noun: un grand homme, une jolie fille.
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| avoir | to have |
| j'ai | I have |
| tu as | you have (informal) |
| il a | he has |
| elle a | she has |
| l'âge | the age |
| ans | years (of age) |
| l'oncle | the uncle |
| la tante | the aunt |
| le cousin | the cousin (male) |
Dialog
Lucas spots his family across a park near the Tuileries in Paris. He and Camille describe each family member's appearance. Notice how each adjective changes form depending on whether it describes a man or a woman.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| grand | /ɡʁɑ̃/ | tall / big / large | Grand describes both height (tall) and size (big). Feminine: grande. |
| petit | /pə.ti/ | short / small / little | Petit is the opposite of grand. Feminine: petite. Also used for children: un petit garçon. |
| jeune | /ʒœn/ | young | Same form for masculine and feminine: il est jeune, elle est jeune. |
| vieux | /vjø/ | old | Irregular masculine form. Feminine: vieille. Placed before the noun: un vieux monsieur. |
| joli | /ʒɔ.li/ | pretty / nice-looking | Masculine: joli. Feminine: jolie (add silent e). Often used for women, children, and things. |
| beau | /bo/ | handsome / beautiful (masc.) | Beau is for masculine nouns. It becomes bel before a masculine vowel-initial noun: un bel homme. |
| belle | /bɛl/ | beautiful / lovely (fem.) | Belle is the feminine form of beau — completely different spelling. |
| mince | /mɛ̃s/ | slim / thin | Same form for masculine and feminine: il est mince, elle est mince. |
| fort | /fɔʁ/ | strong | Masculine: fort. Feminine: forte (the t becomes audible). |
| les cheveux | /le ʃə.vø/ | the hair | Always plural in French: les cheveux. You say 'elle a les cheveux longs' (she has long hair). |
Passive words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| blond | /blɔ̃/ | ||
| brun | /bʁœ̃/ | ||
| roux | /ʁu/ | ||
| les yeux | /le zjø/ | ||
| porter | /pɔʁ.te/ | ||
| ressembler | /ʁə.sɑ̃.ble/ |
Useful chunks
| Word | Translation |
|---|---|
| elle est belle | she is beautiful |
| il est grand | he is tall |
| les cheveux blonds | blonde hair |
Grammar: Noun-adjective agreement in gender (masculine/feminine)
| Masculin | Féminin | Exemple |
|---|---|---|
| grand | grande | Il est grand. / Elle est grande. |
| petit | petite | Il est petit. / Elle est petite. |
| joli | jolie | Il est joli. / Elle est jolie. |
| jeune | jeune | Il est jeune. / Elle est jeune. |
| mince | mince | Il est mince. / Elle est mince. |
| fort | forte | Il est fort. / Elle est forte. |
| beau | belle | Il est beau. / Elle est belle. |
| vieux | vieille | Il est vieux. / Elle est vieille. |
In French, adjectives must agree in gender with the noun they describe. For most adjectives, you form the feminine by adding a silent -e to the masculine form: grand becomes grande, petit becomes petite, fort becomes forte. Because the -e is silent, the masculine and feminine can sound the same in some cases — but in others, adding -e makes the final consonant audible. For example, grand is pronounced /ɡʁɑ̃/ (the d is silent) but grande is pronounced /ɡʁɑ̃d/ (the d is now heard). This is why it is important to both see and hear the feminine forms. The adjective jeune (young) and mince (slim) do not change for the feminine — they already end in -e. The most important irregular pair is beau (masculine) → belle (feminine), with a completely different written form. Similarly, vieux (masculine, old) → vieille (feminine). These must be memorised individually. When describing someone, you use être (to be) followed by the adjective: Il est grand. Elle est grande. The adjective must match the gender of the subject. When the adjective follows a noun directly, it also agrees: un homme grand, une femme grande. Adjectives that typically come before the noun — such as grand, petit, jeune, vieux, beau/belle, joli/jolie — still agree with the noun they precede: un grand monsieur, une grande dame.
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the correct adjective. Make sure it agrees with the noun.
- Mon père est très . (tall)(père is masculine — use the masculine form of 'tall')
- Ma sœur est et mince. (pretty)(sœur is feminine — use the feminine form of 'pretty')
- Mon grand-père est . (old)(grand-père is masculine — use the masculine form of 'old')
- Elle a longs. (the hair)(fill in the French for 'the hair' — remember it's always plural)
- Ma mère est très . (beautiful)(mère is feminine — use the feminine form of beau)
Grammar Application
Give both the masculine and feminine forms of each adjective.
- Accorde : Mon frère est (petit). Ma sœur est .(regular pattern: add -e for feminine)
- Accorde : Il est (beau). Elle est .(irregular pair — beau has a special feminine form)
- Accorde : Mon oncle est (vieux). Ma tante est .(irregular pair — vieux has a special feminine form)
- Accorde : Le garçon est (grand). La fille est .(regular pattern — the d becomes audible in the feminine)
- Accorde : Il est (fort). Elle est .(regular pattern — the t becomes audible in the feminine)
Translate into French
Translate each English sentence into French.
- My father is tall.
- She is young and pretty.
- My mother is short and slim.
- He is old but strong.
- She has blonde hair.
Build Your Own Sentence
Write 3–5 French sentences describing a real or imaginary family member's appearance. Include at least one irregular adjective (beau/belle or vieux/vieille).
Takeaway
French adjectives agree with the noun they describe — add -e for most feminine forms, but memorise the irregular pairs beau → belle and vieux → vieille separately.