Questions & Answers about Cette étudiante est très active et créative.
Why do active and créative end in -ve instead of just adding an -e?
Normally, you just add an -e to make an adjective feminine. However, adjectives that end in -f in the masculine form change that -f to -ve for the feminine. Since the masculine forms are actif and créatif, they become active and créative to match the feminine noun (étudiante). Does changing the ending from -f to -ve change how the words are pronounced?
Yes! The masculine actif ends with a sharp 'f' sound. For the feminine active, the final -e is silent, but it forces you to pronounce the 'v' before it. So, active ends with a soft 'v' sound. The exact same shift happens with créatif and créative. If we were talking about a male student, how would this sentence change?
It would become: Cet étudiant est très actif et créatif. Notice three changes: Cette becomes Cet (the masculine 'this' used before a vowel sound), the noun drops the -e to become étudiant, and the adjectives change back to their masculine -f endings. Are there any exceptions to this -f to -ve rule?
No, this is a very reliable rule in French! Any masculine adjective ending in -f (like sportif or neuf) will change to -ve in the feminine (sportive, neuve). You do not have to worry about memorizing exceptions for this one. Learn Cette étudiante est très active et créative and more in French
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