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In French, most adjectives are placed after the noun they describe. However, a select group of adjectives can be placed either before or after the noun. When their position changes, their meaning changes entirely!

As a general rule, placing the adjective **before** the noun gives it a figurative, subjective, or emotional meaning. Placing it **after** the noun gives it a literal, objective, or physical meaning.

### Ancien and Grand

When placed before the noun, **ancien** means "former," but after the noun, it means "ancient" or "old." Similarly, **grand** before a noun means "great" or "eminent," whereas after a noun it means "tall" physically.

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### Cher and Brave

**Cher** before a noun means "dear" or "beloved." After a noun, it refers to price and means "expensive." **Brave** before a noun means "good" or "decent" (as in a good fellow), but after a noun, it means "brave" or "courageous."

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### Curieux and Pur

If you place **curieux** before a noun, it means "peculiar" or "strange." After a noun, it means "inquisitive." **Pur** placed before a noun means "sheer" or "absolute," while after a noun, it means "pure" or "unmixed."

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### Propre

The adjective **propre** is one of the most common meaning-changers. Before a noun, it means "own." After a noun, it means "clean." Notice how both meanings can even appear in the exact same sentence:

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Meaning-changing adjectives

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)

Adjective placement

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)

Question	Answer
My former colleague is a tall man.	Mon ancien collègue est un homme grand.
great / eminent	grand
the youth	la jeunesse
He was a great man during his youth.	C'était un grand homme pendant sa jeunesse.
dear (beloved)	cher
unforgettable	inoubliable
My dear friend told me an unforgettable story.	Mon cher ami m'a raconté une histoire inoubliable.
the portrait	le portrait
historic	historique
He bought a very expensive historic portrait.	Il a acheté un portrait historique très cher.
the monastery	le monastère
the period	la période
We visited an ancient monastery during this period.	Nous avons visité un monastère ancien pendant cette période.
brave (also good, decent)	brave
I believe that he was a good man.	Je crois que c'était un brave homme.
I do not think that he is the bravest king of the era.	Je ne pense pas qu'il soit le roi le plus brave de l'époque.
curious	curieux
own	propre
It is a peculiar portrait of my own youth.	C'est un curieux portrait de ma propre jeunesse.
This curious child always asks unforgettable questions.	Cet enfant curieux pose toujours des questions inoubliables.
the relationship	la relation
pure	pur
Our relationship is a sheer coincidence.	Notre relation est un pur hasard.
They drink pure water in the historic monastery.	Ils boivent de l'eau pure dans le monastère historique.
My own room is the least clean.	Ma propre chambre est la moins propre.
My dear grandfather recounts a great historical period.	Mon cher grand-père raconte une grande période historique.
Our former director regrets this strange relation.	Notre ancien directeur regrette cette curieuse relation.