The Exceptions: Adjectives Before the Noun
As you've seen, the default rule in French is to place adjectives after the noun they describe (like un village français). However, a small group of short, common adjectives break this rule and go before the noun.
A handy way to remember these exceptions is the acronym BANGS:
- Beauty: beau (beautiful/handsome)
- Age: vieux (old), nouveau (new)
- Number: un, deux, trois...
- Goodness: bon (good), mauvais (bad)
- Size: petit (small), grand (large)
The Adjective "Sandwich"
When using two adjectives to describe a noun, if one belongs before it (like beau) and the other goes after (like moderne), sandwich the noun in the middle:
| It is a beautiful modern castle. | C'est un beau château moderne. |
| A smart old king lives here. | Un vieux roi intelligent habite ici. |
These adjectives still need to agree with the noun's gender. For example, bon becomes bonne before a feminine noun like histoire (story):
| Is it a good, interesting story? | Est-ce que c'est une bonne histoire intéressante ? |
More Practice with BANGS
These adjectives stay in front of the noun whether they are part of a sandwich or used by themselves:
| We are looking for a bad, difficult path. | Nous cherchons un mauvais chemin difficile. |
| They live in a new French village. | Ils habitent dans un nouveau village français. |
| This bad story is funny. | Cette mauvaise histoire est drôle. |
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