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### 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**:
- **B**eauty: *beau* (beautiful/handsome)
- **A**ge: *vieux* (old), *nouveau* (new)
- **N**umber: *un*, *deux*, *trois*...
- **G**oodness: *bon* (good), *mauvais* (bad)
- **S**ize: *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:

{{item:863908}}

{{item:863911}}

These adjectives still need to agree with the noun's gender. For example, *bon* becomes *bonne* before a feminine noun like *histoire* (story):

{{item:863914}}

### More Practice with BANGS

These adjectives stay in front of the noun whether they are part of a sandwich or used by themselves:

{{item:863917}}

{{item:863920}}

{{item:863924}}

Adjective placement

adjective

adverb

conjunction

contraction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

phrase

prep

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Singular 'to be' and indefinite articles (je suis un...)

Singular definite articles (le, la, l')

Identifying vs. describing (c'est vs. il est)

Feminine adjective agreement (+e)

Plural pronouns and 'to be' (nous sommes, vous êtes)

Formal and informal you (tu vs. vous)

Plural nouns and indefinite articles (des... -s)

Plural definite articles (les)

Plural adjective agreement (+s)

Stressed pronouns (moi, toi, lui)

The verb "to have" singular (j'ai, tu as, il a)

The verb "to have" plural (nous avons, vous avez, ils ont)

There is / there are (il y a)

Basic verbal negation (ne... pas)

Negating "there is" (il n'y a pas de)

Regular -er verbs singular (je parle, tu parles, il parle)

Regular -er verbs plural (nous parlons, vous parlez, ils parlent)

The verb "to be called" (s'appeler)

Yes/no questions with intonation (Tu parles ?)

Yes/no questions with "Est-ce que" (Est-ce que tu parles ?)

Informal questions (qui, que, quoi)

Standard questions (est-ce que)

Singular possessives (mon, ton, son)

Plural possessives (notre, votre, leur)

Demonstrative adjectives (ce, cet, cette, ces)

Numbers 1 to 20

Numbers 21 to 100

Age and physical states (avoir)

The verb to go (aller)

The preposition to/at (à, au, aux)

Question word for location (où)

Prepositions for cities and countries (à, en, au, aux)

The verb to come (venir)

The preposition from/of (de, du, des)

Question word for origin (d'où)

The verb to do/make (faire)

Days of the week (lundi, mardi)

Telling time (il est... heure)

Question words for time (quand, à quelle heure)

The verb to take or have (prendre)

The verb to drink (boire)

Partitive articles (du, de la, de l')

Zero quantity (pas de)

Expressions of quantity (un peu de, beaucoup de)

Asking how much or how many (combien, combien de)

Very vs. a lot (très, beaucoup)

The verb to want (vouloir)

Polite requests (je voudrais)

The verb to be able to (pouvoir)

Obligation (devoir)

General obligation (il faut)

Why and because (pourquoi, parce que)

Expressing purpose (pour)

Reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nous, vous)

Daily routine verbs (se lever, s'habiller)

Adverbs of frequency (parfois, rarement)

Never (ne... jamais)

Regular -ir verbs (choisir, finir)

Regular -re verbs (attendre, répondre)

Irregular -ir verbs (sortir, partir, dormir)

Informal 'we' (on)

The imperative mood

Direct object pronouns (le, la, les, l')

The near future (aller + infinitive)

The recent past (venir de + infinitive)

The passé composé with avoir

Irregular past participles (eu, été, fait, pris, vu)

The passé composé with être

The negative passé composé (ne ... pas)

Saying goodbye

Please, sorry and thank you

Which / what (quel)

The indefinite adjective (tout, tous)

Irregular feminine adjectives (-euse, -ve)

Double consonant adjectives (-enne, -ette)

Feminine adjective endings (-ère, -trice)

Irregular plurals (-x)

Plurals ending in -al (-aux)

Present tense stem changes (e to è)

Accent stem changes (é to è)

Double consonant verbs (appeler, jeter)

Verbs ending in -yer (payer, envoyer)

Irregular communication verbs (dire, lire)

Irregular action verbs (écrire, mettre)

Knowing facts vs. familiarity (savoir, connaître)

Question	Answer
beautiful / handsome	beau
the castle	le château
It is a beautiful modern castle.	C'est un beau château moderne.
old	vieux
the king	le roi
A smart old king lives here.	Un vieux roi intelligent habite ici.
good	bon
the story (f)	l'histoire
Is it a good, interesting story?	Est-ce que c'est une bonne histoire intéressante ?
bad	mauvais
the path	le chemin
We are looking for a bad, difficult path.	Nous cherchons un mauvais chemin difficile.
new	nouveau
the village	le village
They live in a new French village.	Ils habitent dans un nouveau village français.
This handsome king is very young.	Ce beau roi est très jeune.
I am listening to an old, true story.	J'écoute une vieille histoire vraie.
There is no good castle here.	Il n'y a pas de bon château ici.
This bad story is funny.	Cette mauvaise histoire est drôle.
There is no fast new path.	Il n'y a pas de nouveau chemin rapide.
This old village is very pretty.	Ce vieux village est très joli.
other	autre
I am looking for another path.	Je cherche un autre chemin.
There is another very pretty village.	Il y a un autre village très joli.

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